Moya, Ferrero march into semi-finals

Carlos Moya showed all the resilience of a former world number one to outgun Marat Safin 6-1, 2-6, 7-6 in a titanic Centre Court tussle on Friday and reach the Monte Carlo Masters semi-finals.

The unseeded Moya, who lifted the Monte Carlo trophy in 1998 before going on to win the French Open, clinched victory with a thumping passing shot after two hours 38 minutes.

"It was, above all else, mental," the Spanish former world number one said.

"Obviously at 5-3, serving for the match, it was not easy to come back and refocus. But I love it here. I won in 1998 and hope to do so again."

He was joined in the last four by compatriot Juan Carlos Ferrero who sped into the last four, sinking Germany's fifth seed Tommy Haas 6-3, 6-1.

"It is the first time I've reached the semifinals here ... but I'd like to go further," said Ferrero who barely put a foot wrong in securing victory in just 72 minutes. "I am improving with each match."

BROKE BACK

He will next face seventh seed Sebastien Grosjean after the Frenchman beat Spain's Albert Costa 6-4, 6-2.

"I feel better and better and am having fewer problems with my movement," Grosjean said, referring to the groin injury which had threatened to end his campaign.

"But Albert gave me lots of points... he helped me a lot. Against Ferrero I will have to be at 100 percent."

Sixth seed Safin, U.S. Open champion in 2000 and himself a former world number one, recovered from a miserable opening set to storm the second and pull himself back into the match.

Hitting with great power from the baseline at the Monte Carlo Country Club, the Russian matched claycourter Moya point for point in the decider.

The Russian wasted four break points in the 22-point fifth game of the third set and was made to pay by Moya, who himself broke three games later for 5-3.

But, serving for the match, Moya faltered. Safin saved two match points and broke back on his fourth match point.

The pair forced a tiebreak, in which Moya's claycourt acumen told.

A series of drop-shots had Safin scampering around the court and an inch-perfect passing shot enabled Moya to clinch victory 7-4.

"I am feeling good here," he told the crowd on a blustery day on the French Riviera.

He next faces fourth-seeded Briton Tim Henman or eighth-seeded Swede Thomas Johansson who meet later on Friday.