I have a good feeling about this and got up at 7 AM on a saturday to watch. C'mon Carlos.

Morning chet. Think Moya will tank this one to let his compatriot give Federer another battering in the final. :D

Morning.
Yes exactly what JCF did at MC after having a comfortable lead ;) .

Chet, your persistent optimism in hoping Fed will lose is most amusing!! :D

Am looking forward to this match-the grandiose clay master, Moya...a fading fighter, against a resurgent Federer-ready to silence his critics!

Should be a good afternoon of tennis...with Hewitt and Nadal to relish, also.

What? Yet another thread on the wonderful Roger Federer started by Chet, with Wise Analyst right behind him once again?

I hear the sound of knitting needles.. :P

Two really interesting semi finals, and whatever the outcomes of them an interesting final in prospect too :ok:

Wonder what the odds on a Hewitt v Moya final might be?

Afternoon Sara, petalp.

I think Fed will win this one quite easily... Moya's had some gruelling 3 setters to get here and isn't the player he used to be.

For the first time in a long time I have a feeling an upset could be on the cards with Nadal on clay though. I still expect him to beat Hewitt, but a loss wouldn't shock me; an on form Hewitt is a tough customer for anybody on any surface and he troubled Rafa at RG last year, taking the second set. Should be intriguing, that's for sure.

I actually feel similarly - Hewitt could be a dangerous opponent for Nadal, although the Australian had a much tougher time getting to the semis, so I'm not holding my breath for a Hewitt win.

On the other hand, I wouldn't dismiss Moya too quickly --- he's been playing well, and he's a real fighter. If his serve and forehand are on today, he could give Fed some trouble (particularly if the latter's serve breaks down again in the second set :angry:).

Let the battle begin!

Hello Wise, Chet Sara :)

The Hewitt Rafa matchup is a really interesting one. I have had a sneaking suspicion for a while that Hewitt does fancy his chances against Rafa and wants to get after him. I think that this semi could be the more interesting one of the matchups..

As for Fed v Carlos.. Well, Carlos seems to have a mixed bag of results these days. From time to time he can pull out a fabulous win, but it's been a while since he strung a few big wins together. As for the Fedster, well, his return of serve on clay has become a worry, and his UE count can be mystifying.. almost like the good/ bad Goran, there can be good/ bad Fed.. so who knows how it will turn out?

Fed has a good record against Moya, but he had a strong head to head against Ferrer and that wasn't exactly a walk in the park in the end. So there is room for some intrigue in both matches, I think.

Afternoon!

Agree about Federer; am pleased to see Moya doing well, though-bit of fading genius from a former great.

I actually see what you're saying about Nadal vs. Hewitt (though I really hope it doesn't come true :pray: )

Just saw an interview with Hewitt and he's "pumped" (to use one of his favourites) confident, not uneasy about meeting Nadal, relaxed and sure he has a chance.

That said, I've always thought of him as a poor mans Rafa...and Nadal knows when to just turn it up a notch. Like some kind of grinding tennis torture to the more fading stars...

Either way, great days tennis...

And Moya breaks Fed in the first game of the match!!

The phrase 'cat amongst the pigeons' springs to mind..

Intrigue already..

Moya elected to receive, and he made the right choice --- a sluggish start from Federer allows him to take an early break. :angry:

Moya doing well thus far!

A break already...!

Could end up with a best mates final of Rafa and Moya. As long as they don't wear those matching Nike advert outfits...can't tell them apart!!

Federer will warm up to this, am sure - but a less than convincing start

Looks like chet was right. Moya cruising at 2-1 with a break ;)

Roger has found his serve again, and holds convincingly.

His returning wasn't all that great in Moya's service game, but I'm thinking he'll probably have a chance or two to get the break back as the set progresses ...

.. which he does.

Back on serve, 2-2.

Yes, lets hope for some great matches .Rome was really disappointing.
A Fed/Nadal final again ?

Fed seems to be back on track --- pretty good returning overall in this game, and he breaks back!

Moya is still not out of it yet.

And as we speak Moya breaks :D

After 5 games, no-one is usually out of any match Chet..

But Carlos breaks again.. leads 3-2..

Another loose service game hands the break straight back to Moya. :yikes:

Moya looks like holding easily, going up 40-0, but now it's 40-30 ...

Some good play at the net sees Moya hold after all, and consolidate the break.

Roger needs another good service game now.

Fed holds, but only after being taken to deuce on his serve.

4-3 to Carlos, with break.

I said Moya is still not out as someone was already looking forward to the Fed-Rafa final.

Meanwhile the Terminator lookalike still with a break.

A mixture of the good, the bad and the ugly in Fed's last service game.

He played a beautiful S&V point to go 30-0 up, only to follow it up with a DF. The rest of the game was similarly mixed, but after going via deuce, Roger finished it off with a dropshot (unusual for him), followed up by a superb angled volley.

Still a break behind, though.

Most people want to see a Fed/Rafa final

Yup. With just the right amount of time in between messages to log out of one account and log into another one. ;)

I just knew we could rely on Chet to start this thread for us. Why start only Federer match threads, Chet? What about your favourites Nadal and Sampras. I note that quite often they are started by other posters :D

Things are getting tight for Federer now in this first set. He needs to win the next two games to stay in the set.

Yip.. the question mark at the end of Al's posting certainly indicatest that this matchup is nothing more than a possibility..

:pray: c'mon Fed

I am convinced now that its going to be a 6-4/3, 6-2/3 win for Moya.
Fed is playing just like against Canas at IW.

Another humble pie for Sara ;)

Looking ominous for Fed now
Come on! :pray:

Every 2nd or third shot from Federer lands short and near the service line. Any player can take advantage of that.

Game 9 is rapidly looking like one of those pivotal games upon which momentum can shift..

:pray: come on Roger!!

Moya's playing really well out there. If he can sustain this level, this match is his for the taking. Federer staving off set points as we speak.

See-saw service game by Roger.

Some excellent play from Moya sees the game go to deuce.

An outrageous error from Fed gives Moya set point :yikes:

but he can't convert. Another set point goes by, and then Fed gets another chance to hold ... but another outrageous error makes it go by the wayside, yet another UE yields another break point.

But a great second serve saves this one as well, and some nice net play sets up another game point, only to be frustrated by yet *another* error.

Another game point, another one he can't convert ... will this game never end?

Yes, it does, two points later with an error by Moya this time. :phew:

Moya is playing like the lion of the 90s.
If he keeps this up, I think its a straight sets win no doubt.

I wouldn't be entirely surprised if Roger manages to level the set now. However, I don't think Moya is going to hand it to him; he needs some really good returning now, and *cut out the errors* :angry:

looking a bit scary out there though for Fed fans....

errors I do NOT like the sound off (unless they are from Moya ;) )