Carlos has been powering in India - he beat Waske, then USA's Kevin
Kim ... and now he's just beaten that tall, big-serving Croatian Ivo
Karlovic in straight sets (6-4, 7-6) and is into the semis!

Great stuff! So pleased he beat Karlovic. Oooh, he's on track for a
final against Nadal - that would be my wish ... not asking for more
than that at the moment. It's all good.


--- In carlosmoya2@yahoogroups.com, bev29x <no_reply@...> wrote:
>
> Chennai tournament starts today, Jan.1. Carlos plays Alexander
Waske,
> doesn't appear to be scheduled today. Happy New Year everyone!
>
> Report from 'The Hindu':
>
> SCHUETTLER MEETS NADAL IN FIRST ROUND Sunday, Dec 31, 2006
>
> Chennai: With all those faithful years behind him in the Chennai
> Open, playing year after year, doing his job in all quiet and no-
> nonsense charm, and choosing to return again, Rainer Schuettler
would
> have expected a little more out of tennis providence, than a first
> round encounter with top-seed Rafael Nadal.
>
> Cuss words, a no-no in the presence of a roomful of media men, gave
> way to a wryest smile and a few words of self comfort like, "it's
> much more motivating to play someone ranked one, two or three, than
> someone ranked 100." He knows how it feels to be both, having been
as
> high as fifth in the rankings in 2004, and as low as 97, now.
>
> The draws that were made on Saturday with Xavier Malisse and
> Schuettler present, were unkind, to say the least, to the
German. "He
> (Nadal) is the favourite, and I have nothing to lose. He's
extremely
> fit, and I'm just going to try my best," he said, borrowing a
> globally recognised underdog phrase.
>
> Fellow Chennai Open regular Carlos Moya, in the bottom half of the
> draw has a relatively easier first round against Alexander Waske,
> provided his customary script in Chennai still holds good.
>
> A seemingly tough opponent in any other part of the globe seems a
> little stripped off his weapons (in Waske's case, a huge serve is
one
> of them) when confronted with the Spaniard in Chennai. The past
might
> sometimes have little to do with the future in sport, but Moya's
case
> has enough in it to surprise outsiders, on how freakish
geographical
> advantage can get.
>
> Argentine David Nalbandian, having to deal with life's extremities
> like reaching the Davis Cup final, reaching the Shanghai Masters
> semifinal and losing his godson, will have lesser worries, when he
> meets Kristian Pless in the first round.
>
> ---------------------------------------------------------
>
>
>
> --- In carlosmoya2@yahoogroups.com, bev29x <no_reply@> wrote:
> >
> > Carlos has confirmed he will play in India in January 2007:
> >
> > CARLOS MOYA CONFIRMS FOR CHENNAI OPEN TENNIS
> >
> > Chennai, Nov 20: Spaniard Carlos Moya has confirmed his
> participation
> > in the $40,000 Chennai Open tennis tournament in January, it was
> > announced by the organisers here Monday.
> >
> > "This is my fifth visit here (to India) and, having won the title
> > twice before, I am confident that I will be able to raise my game
> to
> > the highest level and get a great start once again," Moya has
said
> > according to a press release issued by the organisers. Moya is
> > currently ranked 43rd in the world.
> >
> > Moya's confirmation comes 13 days after his compatriot and world
> No.
> > 2 Rafael Nadal confirmed his entry in the tournament that will be
> > played at the Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu (SDAT)
> > Stadium in Nungambakkam Jan 1-7.
> >
> > World No. 8 David Nalbandian of Argentina had earlier confirmed
his
> > participation, making it a high profile tournament.
> >
> > Nadal participated in the Indian Open only once in 2004, as a
> rookie,
> > and suffered a first-round defeat to Frenchman Thierry Ascione.
But
> > the Spaniard and his compatriot Tommy Robredo won the doubles
title.
> >
> > Croatian Ivan Ljubucic who beat him in the title clash deprived
> Moya
> > of a hat trick of Chennai Open titles in January this year.
> >
> > "In Spain, football is the most popular sport so I do not get as
> much
> > warmth there as I get here," he said.
> >
> > "I have had some memorable performances in Chennai and I hope to
> > continue the same and hopefully win my third title."
> >
> > Moya is very popular in Chennai and his wonderful gesture of
> donating
> > his prize money last year towards tsunami relief efforts touched
> the
> > hearts of the people.
> >
> > "Moya is a true champion. Players of his calibre always bring a
lot
> > of excitement and I am sure Chennai will once again witness some
> > scintillating tennis from him," said tournament director Fernando
> > Soler.
> >
> > The Chennai Open, owned and organised by International Management
> > Group, is South Asia's premiere Association Tennis Professional
> > International Series event.
> >
> > "It's very rare to see a Grand Slam champion like Carlos Moya
keep
> > coming back to Chennai and we are indeed very honoured to keep
> > hosting him," said Balu Nayar, IMG managing director India.
> >
> > [Tamil Nadu News]
> >
>