Estoril Open 2002 News and Events

David Nalbandian
© João Lagos Sports

Argentine David Nalbandian battled extremely windy conditions in order to upset the No. 3 seeded Carlos Moya, 6-4, 5-7, 6-4 in the first of the men's semifinals on Saturday.

Nalbandian's reached his first final on the ATP circuit in Palermo last October, and the 20-year-old scored the biggest win of his career when he ousted defending champion and top-seed, Juan Carlos Ferrero, in the second round.

"So far this is my best result," said Nalbandian after reaching the final. "The key of the match was the consistency of my game. During difficult conditions like this, all you try to do is get the ball over to the other court and let the opponent worry about what to do next."

Last year Nalbandian made his Estoril debut by qualifying into the main draw of the Estoril Open. He eventually lost to Franco Squillari in the opening round.

"The wind was the same for both players, so in the end it was just a matter of who could adapt better. The match was very equal. It was like my match yesterday. The only difference was that I lost today," said Moya after the match. "He's starting to become a solid player, and I think he'll make it into the Top 10. But there are still parts of his game that need to improve," continued the Spaniard.

Moya captured the 2000 edition of the Estoril Open after having overcome a persistent stress fracture in his lower back. The 25-year-old Geneva resident won his eighth title in Acapulco in the beginning of March, scoring a final win over Fernando Meligeni.

SANEX WTA TOUR

Qualifier Barna To Face Serna in Estoril Open Final

Qualifier Anca Barna advanced to her very first WTA Tour final by defeating 15-year-old Dinara Safina of Russia 7-6(6), 6-4 in the semifinals of the Estoril Open on Saturday.

The 24-year-old German, who is looking for her first title, defeated two former Estoril Open champions in her previous matches; Katarina Srebotnik and Angeles Montolio.

Wild card Safina, the younger sister of ATP pro Marat Safin, played in her first WTA Tour event. Thanks to her impressive results here in Portugal, her ranking will improve from No. 404 to approximately No. 240. Safina, who turns 16 in two week's time, has now won 20 out of 22 matches this season.

No. 3 seed Magui Serna joins Serna in the final following a 6-3, 6-3 victory over Elena Bovina of Russia. Serna lost to 19-year-old Bovina in the second round of the Estoril Open one year ago.

23-year-old Serna's is her second consecutive final after losing to Angeles Montolio in the Porto Open last week.