Nadal's hopes of a record fifth successive French Open title were crushed into the Roland Garros red dust by Soderling.
Rafael Nadal’s hope of a record fifth successive French Open title was crushed into the Roland Garros red dust by Robin Soderling’s Swedish sledgehammer on Sunday.
In one of the greatest upsets in the history of the tournament, the Spanish King of Clay slumped to a first-ever defeat here having racked up 31 wins in 31 outings since his 2005 debut.
Soderling’s stunning 6-2, 6-7(2-7), 6-4, 7-6(7-2) fourth round victory came just a month after he’d won only one game in a 6-1 6-0 rout at the Rome Masters, his third defeat in three matches against the world No.1.
But he was a man transformed on Sunday with the 24-year-old unleashing a formidable service game and a relentless, pinpoint accurate forehand which forced Nadal to constantly scramble for a foothold in the match.
Nadal’s first set loss was the first time he had dropped a set in the tournament since the 2007 final against Roger Federer, ending a run of 32 in-a-row.
The Spaniard was reeling from the outset at the hands of a man whom he’d accused of being one of the most unpopular players in the locker room after an acrimonious Wimbledon clash two years ago. The 24-year-old deservedly claimed the opening set when the champion netted a backhand.
Nadal ran away with the tiebreaker in the second set to level the match.The Swede, coached by compatriot and 2000 finalist Magnus Norman, refused to yield, breaking to lead 4-3 before backing it up for a 5-3 advantage in the third set. Sunday’s drama would have delighted Roger Federer, who has lost the last three finals to Nadal, and who still needs a French Open to complete a career Grand Slam.
In other matches of the day, men’s third seed Andy Murray stamped out the challenge of Croatia’s Marin Cilic with a 7-5 7-6 6-1 win. Fernando Gonzalez lived up to his nickname of “‘Speedy” as he darted into the last eight with a 6-2 6-4 6-2 win over Romanian 30th seed Victor Hanescu. The Chilean will next face Murray.
Davydenko beats Verdasco
In a late match on Sunday, Nikolay Davydenko of Russia reached the quarterfinals with a 6-2 6-2 6-4 win over Spain’s Fernando Verdasco.
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