Juan Ferrero returns a net volley against Wayne Arthurs. (Gary Landers photo) | ZOOM |

        Friend vs. friend. Spaniard vs. Spaniard. Carlos vs. Juan Carlos.

        A pair of clay-court specialists have crashed the Western & Southern Financial Masters semifinals, but they'll check their friendship at the locker room door.

        “It's not easy, but ... you forget about everything when you get to the court,” Carlos Moya said. “It doesn't matter if he's your best friend or he's another player. You just want to kill the guy.”

        Moya and Juan Carlos Ferrero are no slouch semifinalists. Moya, the 16th seed, is a former world No. 1. Ferrero, seeded eighth, reached a high ranking of No. 2 in April.

        Their meeting today guarantees the first Spaniard in a final here since Manuel Orantes in 1973.

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Today's schedule     Center Court     Noon: Carlos Moya vs. Juan Carlos Ferrero, followed by Martin Damm/Cyril Suk vs. James Blake/Todd Martin.     7 p.m.: Lleyton Hewitt vs. Andy Roddick-Fernando Gonzalez winner, followed by Mahesh Bhupathi/Max Mirnyi vs. Jiri Novak/Radek Stepanek.

        Not that this is an aberration of tennis today.

        Spain finished each of the past six years with more players in the year-end top 100 than any other nation, including 17 last year. After this event, Ferrero will move up at least to No.6 and Moya to No. 8 in the ATP Champions Race, and the winner will move higher.

        “It's hard because you have to play against your friend,” Ferrero said. “But also, you know perfectly his game.”

        Moya, 25, helped Ferrero, 22, adapt to life on the tour when the latter broke in a few years ago.

        Ferrero has been a quick study of his mentor. He lost to Moya in their first meeting in 1999 but has won all five meetings since, including a 7-5, 6-3, 6-4 decision in the Tennis Master Series Monte Carlo final in April.

Carlos Moya puts a light touch on a net volley against Rainer Schuettler. (Gary Landers photo) | ZOOM |

        But the last four of their matches were on clay, and Moya didn't regain the form he exhibited when he hit No.1 in 1999 until recently. He is 41-12 since February, including 18-2 the past five weeks. He hasn't lost a set here in four matches.

        “I was 1-4 (entering Friday) against (Rainer) Schuettler,” said Moya, who beat Schuettler 7-6 (3), 6-1. “Ferrero is up on me 1-5, so I think this week is a good week to beat him.”

        Ferrero has won only the Monte Carlo event this year; Moya has claimed three clay-court events.

        Ferrero reached his first Grand Slam final this year at the French Open but lost to fellow Spaniard Albert Costa.

        “Maybe I go to the court with a little bit more chances than (Moya) because I beat him the last five times,” Ferrero said. “But of course (he) is going to go to the court with a lot of motivation because it's the semifinals and he's playing good. It won't be easy.”

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