Robin Soderling beats Jo-Wilfred Tsonga; wins ABN AMRO World 2011
World number four, Robin Soderling, goes two for two on the ATP Tour as he wins his second title for the season. A defending champion at the 2011 ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament, Soderling made his way into the final where he defeated the Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga to secure his second straight title at Rotterdam.
The Swede has started his title defence playing local wildcard entrant, Robin Haase. Defeating the Dutch in straight sets, Soderling had moved on to play his toughest match of the event against Philipp Kohlschreiber, who had beaten Soderling three time sin their three previous meetings. Soderling finally secured a win against the German. From there on it was smooth sailing for the Swede, as he moved past Mikhail Youzhny and Viktor Troicki in straights to setup a final clash with Tsonga.
Coming into the match, Soderling enjoyed a perfect 3-0 lead in career head-to-head games against Tsonga. The pair’s last meeting had come in the third round of the 2010 Indian Wells Masters with the Swede emerging as the victor in straight sets. Playing their fourth match, Soderling survived a mid match lapse to extend his winning streak against the Frenchman.
Excellent service from the Swede in the opener maintained his dominance on the courts. Soderling recorded an impressive 71 percent win on his service as opposed to Tsonga’s figure of a meagre 50 percent. Successfully converting two of two break opportunities, Soderling was able to clinch a 6-3 victory for himself going one up.
Leading the set score coupled with the pair’s history, many expected Soderling to sail through to another set victory. However, the Frenchman had other plans. Improving his service winning percentage to a resounding 84% along with nine aces, Tsonga bounced back in the second set. Converting one of three break opportunities, Tsonga was able to register a 6-3 win.
With the score drawn the match entered the final set. Regrouping, Soderling returned to his top form and won a notable 95 percent on first serve and losing only four points on serve, clinched another 6-3 win for himself and in effect successfully sealing his title defence.
Talking about his season so far, Soderling said, “I’ve had two wins and one final, it’s very good, I like it here a lot. It suits my game and when you come to a place where you’ve played well before it brings out good feelings. Of course it’s tough trying to defend the title, it adds some extra pressure, but I felt good and had only positive feelings. I’ve had a very good start to this season. I’ve already won two titles and only lost one match in three tournaments."
Soderling had earlier won the title at the season opening, 2011 Brisbane International, when he defeated defending champion Andy Roddick in straight sets. Soderling next plays at the Open 13 in Marseille, France as the top seed.
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