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| | Friday, 11 October, 2002, 15:20 GMT 16:20 UK Moya sees off Blake  Carlos Moya had to battle to reach the last four Fourth seed Carlos Moya held his nerve to beat American James Blake 7-6 3-6 6-1 on Friday and secure a ticket into the last four of the indoor CA Trophy. Sixth seed Roger Federer of Switzerland had a less gruelling journey to join Moya, winning through 6-3 6-3 over Czech Bohdan Ulihrach. But local hero Juergen Melzer, the wild card conqueror of top seed Tommy Haas in the second round, failed to tame fifth seed Jiri Novak and bowed out 6-4 6-2 in an hour. Spain's Moya, gunning for a fifth title of the year and his first ever indoors, needed to summon all his grit and determination to fight off an upset. "I expected it to be a very tough match. He's a very talented and interesting player and certainly one to watch for the future," said Moya of the unseeded Blake. The Spanish world number nine is the tournament's highest seed after defending champion Haas, Juan Carlos Ferrero and Albert Costa all made swift exits. Blake, one of the most popular players on the tour, was gracious in defeat.
"He has proved he is one of the best players in the world in the past and I think he still is," said the American. "We play very similar, which is fun to play but it can also be very frustrating. I kind of let it slip away." Moya could leapfrog Britain's Tim Henman into fifth place in the ATP Tour champions race if he wins the final on Sunday. Novak's quarter-final win confirms the Czech as one of the most consistent players this season as he has now reached the semi-finals at seven tournaments. Melzer, who has cracked the top 100 for the first time this year, said the veteran Novak was now a clear favourite for the title. "Novak is very difficult to beat. He can do everything well - forehand, backhand, volley and serve," the Austrian former junior Wimbledon champion said. Romania's Andrei Pavel, conqueror of third seed Costa in the first round, booked his place in the last four with a 6-3 7-6 win over Russia's Nikolay Davydenko to set up a clash with Novak. Quarter-final results (seedings in brackets) A Pavel (Rom) bt N Davydenko (Rus) 6-3 7-6 | |
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