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2/17/08 10:17 AM | Cheryl Murray
Carlos Moya, world number 18 and first seed will take on the second seed Nicolas Almagro. Almagro has had a relatively easy road to the final. He dispatched of Nicolas Massu, Boris Pashanski and most recently Fabio Fognini without dropping more than 5 games per match. His one test came from Filippo Volandri, who took him to 3 sets in the quarterfinals. Conversely, Moya has struggled in each of his matches. He beat Santiago Ventura, Olivier Patience, Oscar Hernandez and Nicolas Lapentti, but was taken to three sets each time. Moya's opponent will be fatigue just as much as Almagro himself.
The two men have met three times with Moya holding a 2-1 edge. The last time they met was on the clay courts of Bastad. Almagro won that encounter 6-3,1-6,6-2, but Moya won the previous two in tight matches, one on clay and the other on hard courts. If history is any indicator, Sunday's match should be wonderfully competitive. Almagro is 9 years younger than the 31 year old veteran and by far the fresher of the two, but it would not be wise to count Moya out. Even when he's fatigued, Moya still has an effective first serve that can get him out of trouble.
The key to the match for Moya is to keep points short. He is a very fit player, but a week of nothing except three set matches is bound to take it's toll. In 2008, Moya has already tied the record for the longest three set match ever at 3 hours and 55 minutes, which he finally lost in a tiebreak to his good friend Rafael Nadal. Moya is still talented enough that on the right day, he can beat just about anybody. Almagro will not be taking the Spanish veteran lightly.
Look for Almagro to target Moya's legs by making him run as much as possible. As long as Moya has enough left in the tank, this match should be a real treat. Expect punishing rallies and few errors as both men attempt to wear the other down. Ordinarily, Moya would be the favorite, as he is the more consistent of the two. But given form and level of expended energy coming into the match, Almagro has the clear edge. I'm going to call Almagro in 3, but it wouldn't surprise me in the least if Moya managed to pull it out.
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Did you know that... Andy Roddick holds the record for fastest serve, 154.7 mph.
kaitepai, Dec 2, 2008 9:14 PM
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RickyDimon, Dec 2, 2008 5:57 PM
tennisgirl, Dec 1, 2008 11:48 PM
lendl, Dec 1, 2008 6:17 PM
Casper, Dec 2, 2008 8:23 PM
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Casper, Dec 2, 2008 7:27 PM
Carlos Moya
Nicolas Almagro
Brasil Open
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