Soderling knocks defending champion Federer out of Roland Garros
Robin Soderling has knocked Roger Federer out of the French Open in the quarter-finals, just a year after he became the first and so far only player to defeat Rafael Nadal at Roland Garros.
Winless in 12 previous ATP Tour and Grand Slam matches against Federer, including last year’s French Open final, Soderling knows better than most that defeating Federer at a Grand Slam requires nothing less than leaving it all on the court, and that was the approach the Swede took to his game from the outset.
“Of course it's nice to beat the world No. 1 two years in a row on the centre court,” said Soderling after the match. “I think both times I play really good tennis. I think it's a great feeling.”
Although Federer was in fine touch from the beginning of the match, taking the first set 6-3 in just 32 minutes, Soderlng established his ascendency early in the second set, breaking Federer in his first service game and maintaining his lead over the Swiss to level the match at one set apiece.
The third set developed into a much tighter battle, with Soderling’s big-hitting brand of tennis keeping leaving him locked at 5-5, but with Federer leading 30-15 on serve, when rain forced the players off the court.
The Swede may have entered the match without a victory to his name against Federer, but he played with the belief that this could well be lucky 13 as he took the game right up to Federer in the second and third sets.
If Soderling’s unforced error count, which sat at a staggering 33 compared to Federer’s 13 when play was suspended in the third set, said anything about his game it was that he was so intent on bashing winners down the lines that sometimes his shots just missed their marks.
When play resumed more than an hour later, Soderling began to hit his mark more consistently, making just nine more unforced errors for the match, and it was the defending champion who lost his way after the delay, with Soderling breaking his serve immediately and then closing out the third set to take a 2-1 lead over Federer.
It was a deficit the world No. 1 found himself unable to reel in, and Soderling won the match 3-6 6-3 7-5 6-4, ending Federer’s stay at a Grand Slam prior to the semi-finals for the first time since the 2004 French Open.
Soderling’s victory sets up a potential final against Nadal, and leaves the door open for the world No. 2 to snatch back the top ranking from Federer if he can win his fifth title in Paris this year.
First though, Soderling will need to win his semi-final match against 15th seed Tomas Berdych, who defeated Russia’s Mikhail Youzhny 6-3, 6-1, 6-2 in his quarter-final match.
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