Tennis-Moya to play Almagro in Swedish Open last four

BASTAD, July 13 (Reuters) Fourth seed Carlos Moya continued his impressive run at the Swedish Open today by easily dispatching local hope Robin Soderling 6-2 6-4 in the quarter-finals.

The former world number one needed 69 minutes against the Swedish sixth seed to reach his third semi-final in four appearances here, having won the Bastad tournament in 2002.

''That was my best match here for this year,'' Moya told reporters.

The Mallorcan, who beat Morocco's Younes El Aynaoui in the final five years ago, broke the Swede three times during the match to set up an all-Spanish encounter in the semi-finals with rising hope Nicolas Almagro.

''That will be a tough match for sure. I will have to play as well against him as I did against Robin,'' said Moya, who boasts a 2-0 record against the 21-year-old Almagro.

Almagro overcame Peru's Luis Horna 7-5 6-4 in one hour 34 minutes. On his way to the last eight, Horna had beaten top seed and defending champion Tommy Robredo.

Second seed David Ferrer barely broke into a sweat against Frenchman Gilles Simon to become the third Spaniard in the semi-finals.

Simon managed to hold his opening service game but then crumbled under the powerful baseline play of Ferrer, who grabbed 12 games in a row to win 6-1 6-0.

Ferrer now meets Italian fifth seed Filippo Volandri, who cruised past Belgian Olivier Rochus 6-1 6-2.

REUTERS SR RK2150