HAMBURG, 15 May 2004 — World No. 1 Roger Federer showed his class by crushing Carlos Moya 6-4, 6-3 yesterday to reach the semifinals of the Hamburg Masters.

The quarterfinal clash between the top two players in the ATP Race lasted just over an hour, Federer playing close to perfection to underline his status as a favorite for the French Open starting on May 24.

The talented Swiss all-rounder goes on to meet former world No. 1 Lleyton Hewitt of Australia, who ended the surprise run of unheralded Austrian Juergen Melzer with a 6-4, 6-3 victory.

Defending champion and second seed Guillermo Coria of Argentina also advanced easily with a 6-2, 6-2 victory over unseeded Spaniard David Ferrer, his 15th win in as many matches on clay this season.

Coria, who has been nursing an abdominal injury and is playing his first tournament since winning the Monte Carlo Masters last month, next plays Croatian Ivan Ljubicic or Russian Mikhail Youzhny.

Spaniard Moya, the winner of the Rome Masters last week, looked a bit tired after a busy schedule but did not seek excuses after being swept aside by Federer. “It was a little bit frustrating,” said the former French Open champion, who was seeded seventh here. “Roger can do everything with the ball and does not have many weaknesses. He’s not the No. 1 by accident.”

Federer, who made his career breakthrough by winning the Hamburg tournament two years ago, has now beaten Moya four times in as many encounters. Friday’s match was their first meeting on clay.

Both players held serve in a tight first set until Moya handed Federer three break points in the 10th game. The Wimbledon and Australian Open champion wasted the first two before hitting a forehand crosscourt winner on the third to take the set.

A double fault by Moya enabled Federer to open a 2-0 in the second set. He then stayed on top until Moya bowed out by sending a backhand wide on the first match point.

Hewitt was not really stretched against Melzer, who was appearing in the quarterfinals of a Masters Series event for the first time, but the Australian knows the match against Federer will be different.

Mauresmo Fighting for Rome Revival

Meanwhile, a second rainstorm of the afternoon left Amelie Mauresmo fighting to avoid an upset loss to Italy’s Silvia Farina Elia yesterday in the quarterfinals of the $1.3-million Rome Masters.

Mauresmo, second seed at the Foro Italico behind Serena Williams — still to get on court for a match against Russian Svetlana Kuznetsova — was up a break in the final set against the tenth seed Italian when the skies opened. Silvia Farina went to the locker room standing 1-6, 6-2, 0-1.

Earlier, the start of a match between Russian Vera Zvonareva and the other Italian in the quarters, Francesca Schiavone was delayed for more than an hour by another burst of rain. But Zvonareva reached the first major semifinal of her career 6-3, 6-3 and pronounced herself pleased with the day’s interrupted effort. “It was tough to play against an Italian at home,” said Zvonareva, making her Rome debut. “She had most of the support.

Mauresmo has played the final for three of the past four years, but has never won a title. The French seed swept up the opening set after a 4-0 start, but felt the string of a Farina Elia comeback in the second.

The 32-year-old Italian broke for 4-2 then leveled the match on her first set point from Mauresmo’s backhand error.

Serena Williams had on Thursday joined the seeded stampede into the quarterfinals, crushing challenger Dally Randriantefy of Madagascar 6-1, 6-3.

Williams, with only one loss in an abbreviated 2004 campaign marred by a knee surgery, scored her 11th victory.

Three-time Grand Slam champion Jennifer Capriati rolled through nicely, thoroughly pleased with her day on the clay. The fifth-seeded Floridian dispatched Argentine Paola Suarez 6-2, 6-2.

With a Roland Garros title in her curriculum, the Italian- American is using Rome to tighten her clay form prior to the Paris Grand Slam start a week from Monday.

“I was playing really well, hitting all my shots, serving well — I even came to the net a few times. Overall I was very solid.”