Top ten matches of 2010 – Part 4
French Open quarterfinals: Robin Soderling defeats Roger Federer
By defeating Roger Federer at the French Open quarterfinals, Swedish Number 1 Robin Soderling put an end to the Swiss player’s streak of 23 consecutive Grand Slam semi-final appearances.
Soderling lived up to his reputation of upsetting big players when he beat the Swiss maestro 3-6, 6-3, 7-5 and 6-4.
Robin Soderling’s first significant upset had been exactly a year ago, at the same tournament in 2009. He managed to defeat World Number 1 Rafael Nadal during the fourth round at Roland Garros, ending his tournament campaign earlier than anyone had anticipated.
Had Nadal won the event, he would have beaten Bjorn Borg by setting a record of five consecutive French Open trophies.
Before this match, Roger Federer had a head-to-head record of 12-0 against Soderling. The Swede had always had a tough time winning sets, let alone matches, against his Swiss opponent. However, he turned the tables on Federer in 2010.
Although Soderling lost the first set, he recovered quickly to take control of the match. Federer struggled against both his opponent and inclement weather. While the ending of his streak was inevitable, it was still a bitter blow to Federer.
By that defeat, Roger Federer slipped down one place in the world rankings to number two. He dominated the list for 285 weeks, just one week short of American Pete Sampras’ world-record 286 weeks.
French Open final: Rafael Nadal defeats Robin Soderling
This was the second year in a row that Robin Soderling managed to make it to the title match of the French Open. A year prior to this, he had faced Roger Federer in the final and lost the match. This year, he was to compete against the man he upset in 2009,
Rafael Nadal.
The match was predicted to be highly competitive and the players did not disappoint with some high-quality tennis. Nadal broke first and held the advantage to win his first set 6-4.
In the second set, Nadal continued to tower Soderling as the Swede was unable to find a weak point in his opponent. Moreover, the pressure of performing at such a prestigious event affected Soderling badly and he began to make unforced errors.
In the second set, Nadal broke Soderling’s serve twice to win 6-2. As Soderling supporters realised that it would take a miracle for him to win the match, Nadal earned yet another break in the Swede’s first service game in the final set. The Spaniard held
on to this advantage and eventually regained his French Open crown in straight sets.
By winning his fifth French Open trophy, Nadal joined Bjorn Borg as one of only two men to win five or more titles at Roland Garros. He also regained World Number 1 spot with this victory.
Tags: