THE SCOOP: FRIDAY, APRIL 29
Estoril: Can Carlos be king again?
Warsaw: Clijsters v. Kuznetsova, JHH v. Ivanovic

Fred Mullane/Camerawork USA

Carlos Moya has regained some of his springtime intensity.

After he led his nation to its first Davis Cup crown last year, Carlos Moya said that he was done with the competition for now and would set his sights on winning that elusive second major. Without it, the once King of Roland Garros isn’t going into the Hall of Fame.

Moya has done little prove that he’s ready to accomplish that feat this year, at least on hardcourts. But he's shown flashes of his former steely self in the last few weeks on clay and, in Estoril, knocked off Juan Carlos Ferrero and Paul-Henri Mathieu to reach the semis.

His 7-5, 6-7(4), 6-4 winner in 2 hours, 48 minutes over the boiling Ferrero was an important victory. It was Ferrero who took over the title of his Spain’s best player back in 2003.

"I'm feeling better and better every week," said Moya. "When I came here I didn't know where my game was, but I've had two good wins against two good players, so I'm feeling confident again. I'm very motivated and think I have chances to win tournaments again."

As solid as he is, Moya always has a chance. But, frankly, he has not kept up with the elite over the past few years. He’ll need to play well against Tommy Robredo, who dusted David Sanguinetti 6-2, 6-2. Should he get past his younger countryman, he could face stern test in the final in the form of reigning French Open champ Gaston Gaudio, who nailed Feliciano Lopez 6-2, 6-2. The Argentine will meet Guillermo Garcia-Lopez, who took down Juan Antonio Marin of Costa Rica.

In Munich, German Tommy Haas survived Wayne Arthurs 7-6(6), 7-6(5) and will meet the tough Andrei Pavel, a 6-1, 3-6, 6-3 winner over Raemon Sluiter. No. 1 seed David Nalbandian blasted countryman Juan Monaco 6-0, 6-4 and should be able to get past Jarkko Nieminen to reach the final.
“I’m much more confident,” Nalbandian said. “I didn’t play for a while. I had a virus for two months and it was very tough for me to come back.”

Cynthia Lum/WirePhoto.com

Ana Ivanovic knocks off Vera Zvonareva in Warsaw.

Ana Ivanovic continues to show that she’s a force to be reckoned with. The 17-year-old knocked off the slumping Vera Zvonareva 6-2, 6-4 at the J & S Cup in Warsaw and then, on Friday, upset Nathalie Dechy 7-6(2), 6-4. She’ll be making her first appearance in a WTA Tier II semifinal.

"You work hard for this and I’m very happy to be in the semifinals,” the No. 37 ranked Serbian said. "It's taken a lot of work. I've practiced very hard the last few months, and I'm pretty happy to see the results so fast. Now, I'm going to practice even harder to continue to improve my game.”

Ivanovic’s run will probably end in the semis, when she faces Justine Henin-Hardenne, who won her ninth consecutive match with an amazing 6-1, 6-2 win over No. 4 Patty Schnyder. "I think I was very focused today,” Henin-Hardenne said. “From the first point to the end I really concentrated on what I had to do, be aggressive and not give her too much time because she likes to have time to organize her game."

Henin-Hardenne is just one step from a possible showdown with Kim Clijsters, who won her 17th consecutive match on Friday by defeating an in-from Elena Bovina 7-6(4), 6-3. "I’ve always liked to play against her, especially on hardcourts," Clijsters said. "It’s fun to have someone just take it at you and try and battle through it. Clay is a bit of a different situation, but I still enjoyed today’s match. I felt there were a few good things out there and that’s what I’m going to take with me to my next match."

Clijsters will have her most difficult test when she confronts Svetlana Kuznetsova, who scored a 6-3, 6-4 win over Silvia Farina Elia. Clijsters is 3-0 against Kuznetsova, but the two haven’t played in a year and a half. Kutzy is looking for her first title of the year.