Nadal conquers 5th French Open title after straight sets win to Soderling in Paris

In a remarkable Sunday for Rafael Nadal, the Spaniard won his fifth Roland Garros title, returned to No. 1 in the South African Airways 2010 ATP Rankings and became the first player to qualify for the season-ending Barclays ATP World Tour Finals, after defeating Robin Soderling 6-4, 6-2, 6-4 in the final in Paris.

At the age of 24 years and four days, Nadal became just the second man in history to win five or more Roland Garros titles. Bjorn Borg finished his esteemed career with six titles on the Parisian clay. The Spaniard will subsequently return to the No. 1 spot in the South African Airways ATP Rankings for the first time since 22 June, 2009.

"[It was a] very important victory for me. I think one of the most important victories in my career," said Nadal. "It was a difficult year for me the last year. I worked a lot to be here. I was very nervous during all the tournament, because I know before that I was ready to try to win another time, and I saw the chances there. But the very positive thing is today I was ready to play. I was ready to play with calm and to try my best and to enjoy the match. I did, and it was a very special day.

"For me I was 11 months without winning a title, so a lot of tournaments going back to home without a victory. A lot of difficult moments, because in a few of these tournaments I had to retire for the problems. So is difficult moments to accept. It was personal goal to be back at my best. So I did. And for me, sure, the important thing is Roland Garros. But for me the biggest thing is the personal satisfaction to be here, to be here another time and to be at the top level."

Victory for Nadal secured his seventh major singles title. Together with his five victories at Roland Garros in 2005-2008 and 2010, the left-hander also lifted the Wimbledon trophy in a dramatic finale in 2008 and won the Australian Open last year.

Nadal has been in devastating form throughout the fortnight, racing to the title without the loss of a set despite coming across opponents such as Lleyton Hewitt, Thomaz Bellucci, Nicolas Almagro and Jurgen Melzer on his route through. It is the second time that the left-hander has won a Grand Slam championship without losing a set, having also achieved the feat at Roland Garros in 2008. In the Open Era, only two other players have won the title at Roland Garros without dropping a set - Ilie Nastase in 1973 and Bjorn Borg in 1978 and 1980.

Nadal closed the European clay-court circuit with an unbeaten 22-0 record, which began with victory at the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters. The Manacor native went on to become the first player in history to win all three clay-court ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournaments in the same year and then achieved a historic “Clay Slam” with his triumph at Roland Garros.


Sunday, June 6, 2010

Singles - Final
(2) Rafael Nadal (ESP) d. (5) Robin Soderling (SWE) 64 62 64

Nadal to rematch Soderling for French Open crown

Rafael Nadal is one win away from replacing his long-time rival Roger Federer at No. 1 in the South African Airways 2010 ATP Rankings and capturing his fifth title at Roland Garros.

The second-seeded Spaniard extended his winning streak to 21 matches on clay courts this year after he defeated No. 22 seed Jurgen Melzer of Austria 6-2, 6-3, 7-6(6) in the semi-finals on Friday. It marked the third time that Nadal has reached the final in the French capital without dropping a set and the fifth time overall at a major championship.

"I think I played my best match today," said Nadal. "With my serve I played well all the time [and] the forehand too. With [my] backhand I am playing better and better every day."

Nadal will now look to avenge last year's fourth round defeat to fifth-seeded Swede Robin Soderling in Sunday's final, when he bids to win his seventh Grand Slam championship title (6-2 overall record). Soderling battled past No. 15 seed Tomas Berdych earlier on Friday. Read Match Report

"[Soderling] came back [today] to win a very good match," said Nadal. "He's [a] very, very dangerous player. He's one of the best in the world. Sure it's going to be a really difficult match.

"I know how I have to play to beat him, but I'm not speaking about tactics. I have to play my best tennis, and that's what I going to try to do. I never believe in revenge. I try my best in every moment, and if I lose, I lose."


Fifth seed Robin Soderling will attempt to become the first Swedish titlist at Roland Garros since Mats Wilander in 1988 after he fought past No. 15 seed Tomas Berdych 6-3, 3-6, 5-7, 6-3, 6-3 on Friday for a place in his second Grand Slam championship final.

Soderling, who captured his only clay-court title at the SkiStar Swedish Open at Bastad in July 2009, ended Berdych’s eight-match winning streak with victory in three hours and 27 minutes. By reaching the Roland Garros final for the second straight year, he is guaranteed to rise to a career-high No. 6 in the South African Airways ATP 2010 Rankings on Monday.

The Tibro native hit 18 aces (75 aces overall for the tournament) and 62 winners, converting six of 13 break point opportunities. Berdych, whose previous best Grand Slam performance was a quarter-final run at 2007 Wimbledon, committed 41 unforced errors and dropped to 1-13 lifetime against Top 10 opponents at major championships.

"Of course I could have lost that match," admitted Soderling, who will next meet four-time former champion and No. 2 seed Rafael Nadal of Spain. "It was very close. [It] was really tough to play my own game, because he didn't give me any time at all. He was hitting the ball really hard and really flat."


Friday, 4 June 2010

Singles - Semi-finals
[2] R Nadal (ESP) d [22] J Melzer (AUT) 62 63 76(6)
[5] R Soderling (SWE) d [15] T Berdych (CZE) 63 36 57 63 63

Nadal into semis after beating countryman Almagro; will face Melzer, who stunned Djokovic in five sets in Paris

Four-time former champion Rafael Nadal came through his toughest test so far at Roland Garros on Wednesday, winning his seventh straight match against fellow Spaniard and No. 19 seed Nicolas Almagro with a 7-6(2), 7-6(3), 6-4 victory to extend his perfect 2010 clay-court record to 20-0.

Nadal, who celebrates his 24th birthday on Thursday, hit four aces and 34 winners for victory in two hours and 33 minutes. He won 12 of 16 points on approach to the net and converted two of six break point opportunities.

"It was a difficult match, especially from a mental standpoint," said Nadal. "I had to return well, and I had the feeling that I was not capable of playing the way I wanted because he was so powerful.... When I really needed to play my best tennis, I had the opportunity of doing that. So I'm very happy I played this match in three sets, because it was very difficult."

If the Spaniard goes on to capture his fifth title in the French capital on Sunday, he will regain No. 1 in the South African Airways ATP Rankings for the first time since June 2009. Nadal's rival Roger Federer, the defending champion, lost to No. 5 seed Robin Soderling on Tuesday evening.

Jurgen Melzer, who had never before gone beyond the third round at a Grand Slam championship, is one victory away from reaching the Roland Garros final after an epic 3-6, 2-6, 6-2, 7-6(3), 6-4 win over third-seeded Serbian Novak Djokovic in four hours and 15 minutes on Wednesday.

"The more matches you win on a high level, the more confidence you get," said Melzer of his breakthrough performance. "For me, it was never a question of talent. It was more in the head."

The No. 22 seed, who is the first Austrian to reach the Roland Garros semi-finals since former World No. 1 Thomas Muster clinched the 1995 title, came back from a two-sets-to-love deficit for the first time in his career to set up a clash against four-time former champion Rafael Nadal of Spain. Melzer has a 0-2 record against his fellow left-hander.

Djokovic, who took a two-sets-to-love lead in just 67 minutes, led Melzer 2-0 in the third set before the 29 year old – the oldest player left in the draw – started his comeback.

"The only thing I told myself, 'It's my first quarter-finals in my life in a Grand Slam. Just don't go away. Just don't make it easy for him. Fight as much as you can,'" said Melzer, "and I was I wasn't playing so bad. I just missed a lot of easy shots when I had the chance and the opportunity to finish the point. And after that, I got back in, and at 2-all in the third it was an open match. I think I got a little under the skin after the third set."

In an ultra-competitive fourth set, Djokovic fell to 0/40 at 4-4 and saved eight break points in a 28-point game. Melzer took control of the tie-break winning six straight points, four of which came from Djokovic's unforced errors, for a 6-0 lead and levelled the scoreline with a backhand crosscourt winner.

Djokovic saved one break point at 30-40 in the opening game of the decider, while Melzer hit a backhand crosscourt winner at 30-40 in the sixth game. At 4-4, Djokovic saved two break points with forehand and smash winners but could not deny Melzer his third break point opportunity and 24th of the match.

Serving for the match at 5-4, 40-30, Melzer missed a forehand volley on his first match point opportunity and he hit a forehand into the net on his second point. But Melzer made it third time lucky, when Djokovic committed his 59th unforced error on a service return, for his first win over a Top 3 opponent since October 2002 at the Bank Austria TennisTrophy in Vienna (d. No. 2 Tommy Haas).

"At the end, it's just like getting to another chance and just believing you're gonna win," Melzer said of his composure after missing his first two match points. "I think all those break points I played good points. I came in and won. And then at the end, it's just a battle. Of course we were both tired and everything hurt. I just got through."

"I think he played really well in the last three sets," said Djokovic. "But I made a big mistake there. I made him come back into the match with my unforced errors, and then he caught the momentum and he was playing really well, especially on his service games.

"I'm very disappointed, obviously, to lose the match that I was in control of totally a set and a break. This is tennis, you know. This is Grand Slams. You always have to play up to the end, because these things happen, especially at this stage of tournament."


Wednesday, June 2, 2010

Singles - Quarterfinals
(2) Rafael Nadal (ESP) d. (19) Nicolas Almagro (ESP) 76(2) 76(3) 64
(22) Jurgen Melzer (AUT) d. (3) Novak Djokovic (SRB) 36 26 62 76(3)64

Nadal achieves 200th clay court victory on Day 9 in Paris

Four-time former champion Rafael Nadal has reached the Roland Garros quarter-finals without dropping a set after he recorded his 200th clay-court match win on Monday.

The second-seeded Spaniard hit 27 winners and committed just as many unforced errors to overcome No. 24 seed Thomaz Bellucci of Brazil 6-2, 7-5, 6-4 in two hours and 35 minutes.

Nadal has now reached the last eight for the 14th time in his past 16 Grand Slam championships. He is bidding to become just the second man in history to win five or more Roland Garros titles, after Swede Bjorn Borg (1974-75, 1978-81).

He will next meet his Spanish compatriot and No. 19 seed Nicolas Almagro. The pair met in the 2008 Roland Garros quarter-finals and also in the recent Mutua Madrileña Madrid Open semi-finals. Nadal leads 6-0 overall in their career series.

"It's going to be very difficult because the way he plays is really excellent," Nadal said. "He's managed to maintain the same level here in the tournament. It's going to be complicated; he's going to be very aggressive. It's normal. He knows how to do this. And as far as I'm concerned, I'll try and play my way and do my best. I'll do my best so that he feels a bit uncomfortable."

In an all-left-hander encounter, Nadal immediately stamped his authority on the pair's first meeting for two years by breaking Bellucci’s serve in the opening game. The Sao Paulo resident broke back in the fourth game, when he rushed Nadal into a backhand error off a forehand approach. Bellucci won seven straight points to 40/0 at 2-2, before Nadal sprang into action by winning four straight games to clinch the first set in 39 minutes.

Nadal threatened to run away with the second set, but Bellucci highlighted his potential as a genuine heir to three-time former Roland Garros champion and World No. 1 Gustavo Kuerten.

On two occasions the pair exchanged service breaks – in the second and third games, then again in the ninth and 10th games – but at 5-5, Nadal produced an outstanding backhand crosscourt pass off a powerful forehand approach by Bellucci to gain a crucial break. Nadal closed out the 61-minute second set to 30, when Bellucci hit a backhand into the net.

"I succeeded well because I managed to play even better," said Nadal. "I could shoot into the balls the way I wanted to, mainly the backhand shots, but also my forehand... I think I served better today than any other day, and I'm very satisfied because I think I've improved. I've not yet dropped a set."

Novak Djokovic maintained his record of never losing to an American on clay courts, when he beat Georgia resident Robby Ginepri on Monday for a place in the Roland Garros quarter-finals.

The third-seeded Serbian improved to 5-0 lifetime against Ginepri with a 6-4, 2-6, 6-1, 6-2 win in overcast conditions on Philippe Chatrier court. Djokovic, who hit two aces and 36 winners, now has a 20-5 record at Roland Garros where he reached the 2007 and 2008 semi-finals.

He will next meet Jurgen Melzer, the No. 22 seed from Deutsch-Wagram, who has become the first Austrian to reach the Roland Garros quarter-finals since Thomas Muster in 1998.

"I'm really not a morning person, so it took a lot of time for me to get into the rhythm and warm up basically for the match," said Djokovic of his slow start. "He was very aggressive from the start. I was lucky to pull out that first set in my favour. [In the second set] unfortunately I lost focus.

"But I overcame it [and the] third and fourth [sets] were really, really good. I was aggressive, I was serving well, and playing from all over the court. With that kind of game I performed in the third and fourth set, I think I have a good chance against anybody on the court now."


Monday, 31 May 2010

Singles - Fourth Round
[2] R Nadal (ESP) d [24] T Bellucci (BRA) 62 75 64
[3] N Djokovic (SRB) d R Ginepri (USA) 64 26 61 62
[19] Nicolas Almagro (ESP) d [7] F Verdasco (ESP) 61 46 61 64
[22] Jurgen Melzer (AUT) d T Gabashvili (RUS) 76(6) 46 61 64

Federer beats countryman to set up clash with Soderling, again; French hopes dashed after Tsonga retires against Youzhny on Day 8 in Paris

Defending champion Roger Federer continued his near flawless run at Roland Garros as he defeated Stanislas Wawrinka 6-3, 7-6(5), 6-2 in an all-Swiss fourth-round clash Sunday in Paris.

In a repeat of the 2009 final, Federer will face fifth seed Robin Soderling in the quarter-finals. Federer takes a perfect 12-0 record into the clash with Soderling, having since defeated the right-hander in the fourth round at Wimbledon and the US Open quarter-finals. Should the 28-year-old Federer once again get the better of his Swedish opponent, he will extend his own record of consecutive Grand Slam semi-final appearances by reaching his 24th.

"Obviously I think he's taken advantage of the better ranking he's had since the last year here," said Federer, looking ahead to the clash. "We have experience playing against each other. I've never lost against him, so obviously that's a good record to have. But because of the improvements he's made, he's an opponent not to underestimate. Obviously he beat incredible players on the way to make the finals here last year, so clay seems to also become really his surface of preference, as well."

Soderling said: "It's a quarter-final of a Grand Slam, and I have to play either one of the top four guys. Of course it's tough to play against Roger, but they are all tough matches. I hope for a good match. It's always fun to play against him.

"I remember a few times I played against him when I came pretty close, especially one in Halle a couple years ago when I served and returned really well. I think that's what you have to do against him, because of course he's the best player in the world. But even against him you will always get a few chances. Then you have to take them, because he won't give you any second opportunities. You really have to play well in the important points, which he does so well, and that's why he's so good."

Soderling jumped for joy and punched the air in celebration after completing a comprehensive 6-4, 6-4, 6-2 victory over No. 10 seed Marin Cilic of Croatia in just one hour and 41 minutes.

The 25-year-old Soderling dropped serve in the third game of the first set, before winning four straight games for a 5-2 lead. Cilic, at 4-5, dropped his serve to 15 to gift Soderling the 30-minute opener.

Czech Tomas Berdych, the No. 15 seed, knocked out fourth seed Andy Murray of Scotland 6-4, 7-5, 6-3 in their rain-interrupted clash at Roland Garros on Sunday, which finished in fading light at 9:34 p.m. local time. Berdych will next meet No. 11 seed Mikhail Youzhny of Russia in the quarter-finals.

Murray saved six break points, before Berdych finally broke serve in the seventh game when Murray hit a backhand into the net. He went on to clinch the 31-minute opener with a drop shot winner.

The 24-year-old Berdych took a 2-0 lead in the second set, before Murray responded by winning three straight games. Light rain began to fall in the seventh game, which Murray won with a forehand winner and two aces for a 4-3 lead before conditions became unplayable at 8:03 p.m. local time.

Just as the tarpaulin covers settled on Court Suzanne Lenglen, the rain shower stopped and the duo was able to begin play 36 minutes later. At 5-5, Murray fell to 15/40 and Berdych hit a backhand crosscourt winner off a second serve to clinch the break. Berdych took a two-sets-to-love lead with a service hold to 15.

With the light fading, Murray dropped to 30/40 at 3-3 with his third double fault of the match. The Scot miss-timed a forehand and Berdych won the next two games for victory in two hours and 16 minutes.

Berdych, who is yet to lose a set in the French capital this year, is riding a seven-match winning streak. A runner-up to Andy Roddick at the Sony Ericsson Open, an ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournament in Miami, the Czech improved to a 29-10 match record on the season.

French male hopes came to an end on Sunday at Roland Garros as No. 8 seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga was forced to retire with a back injury after losing the first set 6-2 to Youzhny.

The 27-year-old Youzhny is through to the Roland Garros quarter-finals for the first time and will contest his first Grand Slam quarter-final since reaching the last eight at the 2008 Australian Open (l. to Tsonga).


Sunday, 30 May 2010

Singles - Fourth Round
[1] R Federer (SUI) d [20] S Wawrinka (SUI) 63 76(5) 62
[15] T Berdych (CZE) d [4] A Murray (GBR) 64 75 63
[5] R Soderling (SWE) d [10] M Cilic (CRO) 64 64 62
[11] M Youzhny (RUS) d [8] J Tsonga (FRA) 62 ret. (back)