Ferrero ousts Moya to reach Shanghai final

Juan Carlos Ferrero triumphed in a titanic all-Spanish battle on Saturday, beating Carlos Moya 6-7, 6-4, 6-4 to reach the final of the Tennis Masters Cup.

A semi-finalist last year, Ferrero went one better in the Chinese sea port, by edging his compatriot in a thrilling encounter.

Ferrero will meet either Lleyton Hewitt, his conqueror in the semi-finals in Sydney last year, or Switzerland's Roger Federer in the final.

Federer beat Ferrero in a Gold Group match earlier.

Both Spaniards got swiftly into their rhythms at the New Expo Centre, with Ferrero pounding away from the back of the court while Moya was taking the net on the rare occasions he was given a short ball.

Ferrero had won six of the pair's previous eight meetings, including their last trip to China at the Hong Kong Open, and he took the initial advantage when he grabbed a 4-2 lead after Moya whipped a forehand into the net.

The 22-year-old looked headed for the set when he clubbed a high forehand away for a 5-2 lead but Moya rocked him two games later, breaking back when Ferrero double faulted.

SUBLIME TENNIS

Allowed back in the set, Moya made the most of it and forced a tiebreak at 6-6.

He grabbed a mini break immediately, stepping into a return and battering a backhand past his compatriot.

But a double fault in the next game wasted that opportunity and he then allowed Ferrero to break in the sixth point when he netted another forehand.

A Ferrero netted backhand gave the initiative back to Moya and the pair exchanged three mini breaks until Moya stopped the rot on his second set point with an ace.

Stung by having let the set slip from his grasp, Ferrero punched his way through Moya's defences in the opening game of the second set, before both players held serve throughout to allow Ferrero to win the set 6-4 and level matters.

The pair were playing some sublime tennis by this stage and thrilling the Chinese crowd.

At 2-2 Moya was called on to save two break points and he obliged, once with a second serve ace.

At 3-3 he fell love-40 behind, saved the first and second with forehand winners but on the third an exquisitely guided forehand pass across his body left Moya floundering and gave Ferrero one foot in the final.

Serving for the match at 5-4 in the decider, Ferrero faltered at first, throwing in a double fault and allowing Moya to dominate.

But when Moya clipped the net with an angled volley to hand Ferrero match point, the younger man seized his moment caressing a deft drop volley just over the net which the scrambling Moya could not scoop up.