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  • Bucharest - Gasquet and Moya through to semifinals

    9/13/08 3:57 AM | Cheryl Murray
    - To the delight of the BCR Open Romania ticketholders, both Richard Gasquet and Carlos Moya advanced to the semifinals in Bucharest.

    Carlos Moya got in some early trouble in his quarterfinal match. Guillermo Garcia-Lopez snagged the first set from his Spanish countryman with a last-moment break of Moya’s serve. Moya did not panic however. He played far more crisp tennis from that moment on, eventually winning 5-7, 6-3, 6-4. His second serve in particular was difficult for Garcia-Lopez to get a bead on. Moya only lost 17% of his second serves, making him nearly impossible for Garcia-Lopez to break.

    Conversely, Moya was tough on his opponent’s second serve; he won a whopping 62% of the points when Garcia-Lopez missed his first serve. That same story would play out throughout the rest of the match. Moya never faced another break point after the first set. If his form holds, he could well be a serious contender for the title.

    Standing in his way is the world number twelve, Richard Gasquet, who was through in three against Teimuraz Gabashvili 6-7(6), 6-1, 6-1. Gasquet got a last-minute wild card into Bucharest after bowing out of the US Open in the first round to Tommy Haas. The quarterfinal match was briefly interrupted with a rain delay just as the Frenchman was set to serve in the first set tiebreaker. When play resumed, Gabashvili just snagged the tiebreak from Gasquet. It would be the last winning moment for the Russian.

    Gasquet blasted his way through the last two sets, leaving no doubt that he is serious about trying to take this title. His semifinal match against Carlos Moya could be an all-out blockbuster.

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