Australian Open 2011: Robin Soderling sails into round four
Fourth seed Robin Soderling extended his 2011 run to eight straight matches with no set loss record on Saturday after he won his third round match at Melbourne Park comfortably.
Soderling clinched his first title of 2011 beating defending champion Andy Roddick at the Brisbane International in the second week of January.
Though the Swede has never won a Grand Slam, he broke into the top 5 in 2010. Hoping to maintain his ranking, Soderling is pushing himself further at the Australian Open 2011.
Setting a career-best at the event with every win, Soderling set a new record at the event as he defeated qualifier Jan Hernych to move into the fourth round of the event.
Converting six of twelve break points, Soderling was able to dismiss the Czech qualifier in less than two hours. Losing only eight games, Soderling prevailed 6-3, 6-1, 6-4, comfortably ‘sailing’ into the next round.
Pleased about his performance, Soderling said, “Physically I feel very good. I haven't spent too many hours on court yet and I'm already in the fourth round, which is very good, so I think for me it’s a little bit of an advantage.”
Hernych’s fellow qualifier Canadian Milos Raonic is enjoying his best run at the event so far. Raonic moved into the fourth round on Saturday after upsetting tenth seed Mikhail Youzhny.
Big day for Raonic! Striking 31 aces amongst 64 winners, the Canadian not only set a career-best at the Grand Slam but also secured his first win over a top ten player.
Raonic secured a 2-0 lead in the set score before ensuring his survival at the event with a four set win. The final score was 6-4, 7-5, 4-6, 6-4.
Talking to the press after the match, a delighted Raonic said, “I didn’t really count myself out. I know I can play well and I know I can play at this level. I knew the chances were in his favour, but I knew I was prepared to fight for every point, however
long it took. I can’t say I would be shocked if I wasn’t here, but I’m not really shocked I am here. I worked hard and I've put in the hours, so it’s all coming together.”
Raonic will meet another top ten player, David Ferrer in the next round.
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