Robin Soderling beats Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in Rotterdam final
The top seed Robin Soderling of Sweden, defeated the eighth-seeded Frenchman, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga at the ABN Amro World Tennis Tournament in Rotterdam on Sunday. Soderling successfully defended his title after a brilliant contest, settling the final score
at 6-3, 3-6 and 6-3. The Swede took merely 83 minutes to outplay his opponent and to become the fourth player to have successfully defended his title.
Soderling displayed his impressive indoor tennis skills and played far better than the in-form Tsonga. His mental resilience under pressure was the key to his victory. The error count for the Swede was reasonable, as his cross-court shot making was exceptional.
He made his French opponent work around the court to consume his energy. Soderling stumbled a bit in the second set which he lost to the Frenchman, but recovered well to win the decider.
The 6ft 2in tall Tsonga made a blistering 20 aces, showing off his superior serving skills. Soderling responded to the magnificent French serve with his agile footwork and excellent cross-court returns.
Soderling took the early lead in the opener by breaking Tsonga in his very first serve game. The Frenchman belted three consecutive aces to break back Soderling’s serve and level the score at 3-3. The Swede stung another crucial break in the eighth game
to take a 5-3 commanding lead. Soderling served out comprehensively off the opener at 6-3.
The tall Frenchman dominated his opponent in the second set with his tremendous service game. He smacked nine aces during the set and allowed Soderling to hold his serve on 4 points on the return. The Swede played a shaky game in the middle of the set and
Tsonga took full advantage, as the Frenchman broke his opponent’s serve to 5-2 with four straight cracking aces. With fierce ground strokes and powerful serve game, the second set went to Tsonga 6-3.
The magnificent serving skills of Tsonga began to fade away in the middle of the decisive set. The Frenchman suddenly dropped his game at 3-4 in the third set, allowing his opponent to bounce back. Soderling took on the challenge and stung a break to Tsonga’s
serve in the eighth game, as the defending champion managed to serve out of the set and seal the victory at 6-3.
It was a tough fight for the Swede, as he managed to manoeuvre through with his years of experience. “I don’t know how I managed to beat you,” Soderling told Tsonga in the post match press conference, “I think we both deserved to win this final.”
It is the third time Soderling has featured in the final of the ABN Amro World Tennis Tournament. He has lost to Michael Llodra in 2008 but won the title in 2010 by outplaying Mikhail Youzhny in the final. This year, Soderling’s victory over Tsonga highlighted
his mental toughness and fierce competitive spirit on the court. These are the qualities that set the good players apart from the great players.
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