Carlos Moya captured his second claycourt title of the
season when he defeated Younes El Aynaoui 6-3 2-6 7-5 at the Swedish Open in
Bastad.
Moya's ninth career title - eight of which have come on clay - lifts him to
12th in the ATP Champions Race, and keeps him firmly in contention for the
season-ending Tennis Masters Cup in Shanghai.
The Spaniard said: "It was a very exciting match and I played well to win. I
won the first set fairly easily and then he started taking more risks.
"In the third I started to have trouble with my back and I didn't think I
could win. Mentally, it was a very exhausting match. This tournament has been
much better than I ever expected. When I feel relaxed I normally play well."
After back-to-back finishes in the year-end Top 10 in 1997 and 98, Moya
finished 24th in 1999 and 41st and 19th respectively in the ATP Champions Races
of 2000 and 2001.
The 98 French Open champion won the Acapulco title earlier in the year and
also reached the final of the Tennis Masters in Monte Carlo.
El Aynaoui was contesting his career-best fifth final of the year, having won
titles in Doha, Casablanca and Munich. He also reached the Dubai final.
The 30-year-old had won just two ATP crowns before this season.
"I wanted to win this match badly," said El Aynaoui. "I felt a bit stiff at
the beginning of the match. It was a competitive match decided by small margins.
Carlos played a super match."
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