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  • Preview Brasil Open: Moya - Lapentti

    2/16/08 6:23 PM | Cheryl Murray
    - Carlos Moya battles fellow veteran Nicloas Lapentti for a spot in the Brasil Open finals.

    Carlos Moya (1) vs. Nicolas Lapentti

    Carlos Moya has looked a bit spotty this week, and this match will not be as easy for him. He was down a break in the decisive third set against Oscar Hernandez in the quarterfinals before scrapping his way to victory. Lapentti also had to weather a three set match on Friday, though his match was the slightly longer at almost three hours (Moya's was 2 hours 22 minutes). Fatigue could be a factor in this semifinal.

    The two men have met 4 times in their long careers. Lapentti actually holds a 3-1 edge over Moya, but their last meeting was way back in 2005 in Acapulco. Surprisingly, the 2005 match was also the only one on clay. The rest have been on hard courts and grass and probably have little bearing on predicting the outcome of this match. Current form seems to be a better indicator. Moya is ranked 18 in the world, Lapentti 112. On paper, there should be no contest. The problem for Moya is that he has not been in very good form during this tournament. He seems to continue to have problems adjusting to playing on clay.

    Lapentti has not faced any seeded players thus far at Costa do Sauipe, which makes it difficult to determine how good his form actually is. He did not perform well in Vina del Mar two weeks ago, having lost in the first round to Juan Monaco. Even though Moya is not playing his best, I have to think that Moya will be able to get to his first final in 2008. Moya in 3.

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