Carlos Moya waited years for his back to heal. What he didn't know until now was his mind needed mending, too.

        Figuring his game was inferior on hard courts, Moya, 25, spent the early summer on clay in Europe. Winning 13 consecutive matches there gave the soft-spoken Spaniard a bit of bravado.

        How it paid off:

        Dominating eighth-seeded Juan Carlos Ferrero 6-3, 6-4 Saturday in a Western & Southern Financial Group Masters semifinal. Reaching the final today without having dropped a set all week.

        “What I learned is that the best preparation (for hard-court season) is to win matches, no matter what surface you play on,” said Moya, the 16th seed.

        “The best thing is to feel well here -- mentally,” he said.

        When his mind is right, his forehand follows.

        Moya, a former world No.1, ran Ferrero ragged Saturday by hitting pinpoint shots and directing tempo. He had 21 winners to Ferrero's 11.

        “He has a very strong forehand, and he (controlled) the rhythm with his forehand, moving me all the time,” Ferrero said.

        Moya was 1-5 against his friend and countryman before Saturday, losing their previous five meetings. But that coincided with the three years he was recovering from a stress fracture in his back.

        The Moya here is healthy and confident. He is 19-2 the past five weeks, and his hard-court woes -- he had been 4-6 on this surface in 2002 and 2-4 here in years past -- are a distant memory.

        “I was thinking that I wasn't able to play well on hard, for whatever reason,” he said. “Now I can see that is all a matter of confidence.”

        Moya lost just nine points in 10 service games and never facing break point. He didn't double fault and was especially aggressive, attacking the net 17 times and winning every point.

        Moya, ranked 17th in the world but now No.7 in the yearlong ATP Champions Race, has said this week he is playing better than when he was No.1. Ferrero agreed.

        “He's better physically and -- I think also very important -- mentally,” Ferrero said. “He didn't say anything when he did the mistakes ... and that's different than before. He always used to say something.

        “Right now he (has) a lot of confidence.”

        When he hit No.1 for two weeks in early 1999, Moya became the first Spaniard to top the ATP rankings, which date to 1973. Since then, countrymen Albert Costa (ranked seventh) and Ferrero (ranked eighth) overshadowed Moya.

        But Moya is poised again to be the No.1 Spaniard, and maybe No.1 in the sport.

        “Now my game is there,” he said. “When I'm healthy, I'm dangerous.”

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