Fri Jul 18 17:18:35 2008

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Verdasco reaches semis; Moya bows out in Umag

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Umag, Croatia (Sports Network) - Top-seeded Spaniard Fernando Verdasco was among Friday's quarterfinal winners, while five-time champion Carlos Moya of Spain came up a loser at the clay-court Croatia Open Umag.

Verdasco set-up a semifinal bout with seventh-seeded Italian Fabio Fognini by beating German Mischa Zverev 7-5, 7-5 at ITC Stella Maris. Fognini reached the final four by handing a third-seeded Moya a rare setback here, as Moya succumbed in 6-4, 6-3 fashion.

The six-time Umag finalist Moya beat Romanian Andrei Pavel in last year's finale, also titled here in 1996 and from 2001-03, and was the runner-up in 2005.

Saturday's other semi will pit fourth-seeded Russian Igor Andreev against upstart Argentine Maximo Gonzalez. Last week's Gstaad runner-up Andreev erased sixth-seeded Argentine Guillermo Canas 7-5, 6-4, while Gonzalez overcame Croatian crowd favorite Roko Karanusic 2-6, 6-3, 7-6 (7-4) on Day 5. Canas captured this championship four years ago.

The 2008 Umag champion will collect $86,000.