Sunday, May 31, 2009

Champion Nadal falls to Soderling

FRENCH OPEN
Venue: Roland Garros Date: 24 May - 7 June
Coverage: Live on BBC Red Button, live streaming and daily text commentary on BBC Sport website, updates on BBC Radio 5 Live plus second week commentary on BBC 5 Live Sports Extra. TV coverage on Eurosport.


Rafael Nadal
Nadal will now turn his attention to Wimbledon, where he is the defending champion, sooner than expected

World number one and defending champion Rafael Nadal saw his 31-match unbeaten run at the French Open come to an end with a shock defeat by Robin Soderling.

Nadal, who was bidding for a fifth straight Roland Garros title, lost 6-2 6-7 (2-7) 6-4 7-6 (7-2) in one of the biggest upsets in tennis history.

Soderling's win comes a month after was beaten 6-1 6-0 by Nadal in Rome.

"I told myself this is just another match," said the Swede, who now plays Fernando Verdasco or Nikolay Davydenko.

"All the time, I was trying to play as if it was a training session. When I was 4-1 up in the (fourth set) tie-break, I started to believe."

Soderling, seeded 23, had lost his previous three matches against Nadal but seemed a man transformed on Court Philippe Chatrier.

He unleashed one formidable service game after the next, while his relentless, pinpoint groundstrokes forced Nadal to constantly scramble just to stay in contention.

606: DEBATE
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When the Swede took the opening set it was the first time Nadal had dropped a set at the French Open since the 2007 final against Roger Federer.

The Spaniard struggled from the outset against a player with whom he was involved in an unsavoury spat at Wimbledon two years ago.

Nadal was broken in the fourth game as Soderling went 4-1 ahead and again in the crucial eighth as the free-flowing, uninhibited Swede continued to find the corners with devastating accuracy.

He deservedly claimed the opening set when the champion netted a backhand.

Despite missing his usual fluency, and visibly rattled by Soderling's unrelenting assault, Nadal broke for the first time to lead 2-1 in the second set, only to surrender his advantage in the 10th game.

Nadal would then have been expected to storm past the 6ft 4in Swede but Soderling executed a fine backhand volley to go to 5-5.

The Spaniard did, however, run away with the tie-break to level the match when a Soderling forehand flew long.

Soderling, coached by compatriot and 2000 finalist Magnus Norman, refused to yield, breaking to lead 4-3 in the third set before backing it up for a 5-3 advantage.

He took the set when Nadal netted another weary forehand off yet another deep Soderling drive.

Nadal broke to lead 2-0 in the fourth set, but Soderling hit back immediately as another tie-break loomed.

And when it arrived the 24-year-old clinched his famous win on a second match point when Nadal went wide with a pick-up.

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