Chennai, Jan 3: Carlos Moya defeated Russian Alexandre Kudravtsev 6-3, 7-6, 6-2 to join the quarter final line up of the Chennai Open 2008 ATP world tour tennis championship today.


The world number 17 ranked Spaniard broke the young Russian himself serving with venom but committing unforced errors on the big points to win in the end. Moya broke Kudravtsev in the fifth and ninth games of the first set and holding serve to win easily.But the Russian came back strongly in the second set, thriving on Moya's erratic display to level 2-2, 3-3, 4-4, and finally 6-6, as both held serve, and forced a tie break. However, Moya succumbed in on the crucial points in the tie break after levelling 3-3. Up 4-3 Kudravtsev, who sent India's Prakash Amritraj last night, saw Moya level 4-4 . But the Spaniard committed a double fault and failed to retrieve a down the line passing shot to go down 4-6.

In the third set, Moya however found his rhythm again as the inexperienced Russian, playing in his first main draw match, appeared to be running out of steam. Moya broke him in the third and the fifth games.

UNI