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Tennis News :: Robin Soderling dumps Rafael Nadal out of French Open

Posted on 2009-05-31 by Gooner

Rafael Nadal's four-year reign at the French Open ended as he was sensationally dumped out by unheralded Swede Robin Soderling in the fourth round.

The Spaniard Nadal suffered his first-ever defeat at Roland Garros as he lost 6-2 6-7 (2/7) 6-4 7-6 (7/2) to the inspired world number 25 in what is being labelled arguably the biggest upset in tennis history.

Nadal may have dropped well below his usual level but Soderling, who was featuring in his first last-16 match at a grand slam, played out of his skin.

Most people were expecting his level to dip after standing shoulder to shoulder with the top seed in the first couple of sets but he continued to pound away at his opponent with his mighty groundstrokes.

"It's the biggest moment in my career. He's the best clay-court player of all time," said the 24-year-old, who is seeded 23 here and takes on Nikolay Davydenko next.

"During the match, I was just telling myself this is another match, that I shouldn't care it's the fourth round of the French Open against Nadal. I kept telling myself I have to believe."

Nadal was adamant his congested calendar prior to Roland Garros was not the reason for his defeat. He also denied he had underestimated Soderling, who had lost 6-0 6-1 to the Spaniard on the clay in Rome last month.

Looking for the winner?
With Novak Djokovic having also been eliminated, the door is now ajar for the likes of second seed Roger Federer and third seed Andy Murray.

Sourced From : Sporting Life

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