My fav Rafael Nadal, the four-time defending champion at Roland Garros - I was sure that he will win and created this blog - has lost to Robin Soderling of Sweden in four sets on Sunday, 31 May, 2009 in the fourth round of French Open Tournament. With this loss, Nadal's unbeaten run at the French Open is over.
Rafa lost to Robin Soderling of Sweden 6-2, 6-7 (2), 6-4, 7-6 (2) Sunday in the fourth round, ending his record 31-match winning streak at Roland Garros.
It seemed as if Nadal's left arm had shortened overnight as the Spaniard often failed to retrieve his opponent's groundstrokes in a one-sided first set.
Robin Soderling, seeded 23rd at this year’s tournament, ran Nadal ragged on center court with his hard serve and booming forehand.
Soderling broke in the third game when Nadal scooped the ball long and did it again in the eighth to seal the set after moving the Spaniard from left to right.
Nadal broke for 2-1 in the second set, firing a backhand from behind the baseline that Soderling failed to control.
Soderling broke back for 5-5 with a diving volley winner, forcing Nadal to a tiebreak which the Spaniard easily took 7-2.
The top seed was not out of trouble, though, as it was not enough to break the Swede's resilience.
Soderling broke in the seventh game of the third set when Nadal's attempted lob went long.
He then held serve confidently and took the set when Nadal netted a forehand. The Spaniard closed his eyes as if he refused to believe what was happening.
Following an early exchange of breaks, both players held serve to take it to another tiebreak. A string of Nadal unforced errors earned Soderling a 6-1 lead.
The Spaniard saved the first match point with a forehand winner down the line but he volleyed wide on the second.
Nadal has dominated the French Open since his first match on the red clay at Roland Garros. In his 31 previous matches, he had lost only seven sets - the last one coming against Roger Federer in the 2007 final.
Defending women’s champion Ana Ivanovic also lost, while top-seeded Dinara Safina advanced to the quarterfinals with another easy win.
Also on the men’s side, No. 3 Andy Murray of Britain and No. 12 Fernando Gonzalez of Chile made the quarterfinals.
Nadal had won three of the last four major titles, missing out only on the U.S. Open. Because he won the Australian Open, he had been the only man with a chance to complete a Grand Slam.
He had also been trying to become the first man to win five straight French Open titles.
Instead, the draw has completely opened up for three-time finalist Roger Federer. The former No. 1 needs only to win the French Open title to complete a career Grand Slam, and his road got clearer Saturday when potential semifinal opponent Novak Djokovic was eliminated.
The eighth-seeded Ivanovic did little right on Court Suzanne Lenglen, converting only two of five break points and making 20 unforced errors in her 6-2, 6-3 loss to Victoria Azarenka of Belarus.
The top seed was not out of trouble, though, as it was not enough to break the Swede's resilience.
Soderling broke in the seventh game of the third set when Nadal's attempted lob went long.
He then held serve confidently and took the set when Nadal netted a forehand. The Spaniard closed his eyes as if he refused to believe what was happening.
Following an early exchange of breaks, both players held serve to take it to another tiebreak. A string of Nadal unforced errors earned Soderling a 6-1 lead.
The Spaniard saved the first match point with a forehand winner down the line but he volleyed wide on the second.
Nadal has dominated the French Open since his first match on the red clay at Roland Garros. In his 31 previous matches, he had lost only seven sets - the last one coming against Roger Federer in the 2007 final.
Defending women’s champion Ana Ivanovic also lost, while top-seeded Dinara Safina advanced to the quarterfinals with another easy win.
Also on the men’s side, No. 3 Andy Murray of Britain and No. 12 Fernando Gonzalez of Chile made the quarterfinals.
Nadal had won three of the last four major titles, missing out only on the U.S. Open. Because he won the Australian Open, he had been the only man with a chance to complete a Grand Slam.
He had also been trying to become the first man to win five straight French Open titles.
Instead, the draw has completely opened up for three-time finalist Roger Federer. The former No. 1 needs only to win the French Open title to complete a career Grand Slam, and his road got clearer Saturday when potential semifinal opponent Novak Djokovic was eliminated.
The eighth-seeded Ivanovic did little right on Court Suzanne Lenglen, converting only two of five break points and making 20 unforced errors in her 6-2, 6-3 loss to Victoria Azarenka of Belarus.
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