No one could fault him of lack of effort. Carlos Moya [Images] had walked into the battle as the clear underdog, at 31, the Spanish mentor not quite a match for the marauding world number two Rafael Nadal [Images]. But he lasted, for four hours, in the heat and intensity on Chennai, only to be denied victory by a few inches.

Moya, on his third match-point in the second set, only had to put away a volley but it jumped wide a couple of inches. It was enough space for Nadal to squiggle in, win the set and then go on to record a 6-7 (3), 7-6 (8), 7-6 (1) victory in the semi-final.

"It is matches like these that keep me motivated," said Moya, who broke back into the top-20 in 2007. "It was a very good match. I'm a little disappointed now that I could not win because I had so many chances.

"But playing with Rafa is always tough. He fights for every point, makes you take risks. I tried to keep the points short by going to the net. Against Rafa you are going to miss some volleys because you are talking about the best passing shot in the world.

"I think my fitness condition is great. I believe I can be there with the best of players for four hours. I could've won the match, but I don't think I lost it because I was tired."

Top seed Nadal, who now has a 5-2 head-to-head against Moya, said he expected the bullish performance by his mentor.

"I'm not surprised that the match went so close I saw him practicing yesterday and his forehand was working very well. And we know that when he plays 100 per cent on his forehand it's going to be a very tough match.

"It was one of the most emotional matches against Moya."

Though Nadal is the reigning French Open champion and one of the most popular players on the men's tour, Moya is the king in Chennai. The 31-year-old, a two-time champion in Chennai, was pushed all through the match by a hoarse crowd.

And at the end of the day, the feeling of admiration was mutual even though Moya ended on the losing side. The spectators in the SDAT Nungambakkam stadium knew they had been witness to something special.

"It was unbelievable indeed," said the veteran player. "It was an excellent match; very exciting foe the crowd. And it was a great feeling to have all those people support me. Without their support, I wouldn't be here."

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