Wimbledon Championships
Venue: All England Club, London Date: 21 June - 4 July
Coverage: Live on BBC One and Two, HD, Red Button, BBC Sport website (UK only), Radio 5 live, 5 live sports extra; live text commentary online and on mobile phones.
Full details of BBC coverage
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By Ian Westbrook
BBC Sport at Wimbledon |
Rafael Nadal hit back from a disastrous first set to beat Robin Soderling 3-6 6-3 7-6 (7-4) 6-1 on Court One and reach his fourth Wimbledon semi-final.
Soderling raced 5-0 ahead in the opening set after just 18 minutes and took it despite a brief Nadal rally.
But Nadal went 3-0 up in the second and went on to close it out.
He took the third on a tie-break after Soderling called for the trainer when he was about to serve for the set and rattled through the fourth to seal it.
"I started so slow but Robin was playing very long, powerful shots so it was very difficult to have control of points," Nadal told BBC Sport afterwards.
"After that, I have some problems in the first game of the second set, I saved a break point, and after that the match changed a lot.
"I'm feeling great. To be in the semis here another time is a dream for me. It's a very important moment of the season for me after the clay season. I think I'm playing better and better every day."
Soderling started off in amazing fashion by racing through the first five games.
He lost just one point in his opening service game and then trailed 40-15 on Nadal's serve in the next before the Spaniard whacked a shot into the net and was then beaten by a forehand by the sixth seed, who broke at his second opportunity when the world number one double-faulted.
A quick hold from Soderling was followed by another break as a sliced backhand from Nadal failed to clear the net - and when the Swede was untroubled in yet another service game he led 5-0.
He had a set point in the next game but the world number one dug himself out of trouble to finally get off the mark.
Inspired, Nadal broke for the first time when Soderling double-faulted and he then held again to put his opponent under pressure but although the first point of the next game went to the Spaniard, the 12th seed regained the initiative to take the set on his second set point.
There was a stormy start to the second set as the umpire awarded a point to Soderling in the opening game as Nadal was still playing a shot. After a lengthy argument with the official the fired-up Spaniard resumed - saving a break point and going on to take the game.
More to follow.
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