Rafa Bows Out of the French Open

Tennis blog!Photo from SI.com.

The biggest upset of the year happened in the French Open last night. Robin Soderling of Sweden beat #1 Rafa Nadal in 4 sets. The final score: 6-2 6-7(2) 6-4 7-6(2).

From the first set, Soderling was aggressive and executed some killer shots. At some point, Rafa looked like he was the less experienced player, being made to run around the court. It was unnerving, especially if you're used to seeing Rafa ahead and controlling the plays. I couldn't relax the whole time! Rafa lost the first set 6-2. Somebody finally broke Rafa's 31-set winning streak in Paris.

Even then, I was only a little worried for Rafa. Surely he can elevate his game, no? :) He's mentally strong, he can get over this early loss quickly. It probably wouldn't affect the final outcome. But Soderling stuck to his guns. Second set came to a tie-break, which Rafa easily won, thanks to consecutive errors from Soderling. Oh, so maybe his nerves got the best of him. Rafa has momentum going to the 3rd set. And it's past 10PM for me.

Surprise! Soderling is winning some well-contested rallies in the 3rd set, also aggressive and successful at the net. I know that Rafa is a good tennis player, but I'm starting to appreciate Soderling's skills. He was the obvious underdog but the crowd was behind him, cheering him on. Ako din! This was history in the making. Soderling broke Rafa's serve in the 7th game, and held his own. Now it's 2-1. Unbelievable!

Rafa broke Soderling at the start of the first set, but failed to consolidate. No one was backing down though. It came down to another tie-break where Soderling gained a comfortable 5-1 lead. Rafa scored one more point before relinquishing the match. Here ends Rafa's run in Roland Garros.

Below is Rafa's interview. Very classy guy...

“I played very short,” Nadal said. I didn't play great. I didn't play with calm at any time during all the match. That makes him easy to play at this level during all the match. So it was my fault, and he did well. He did very well, but I didn't play my best tennis and for that reason I lose. I have to accept my defeat as I accepted my victories: with calm. I need to learn, and you learn more when you lose than when you win. This is not a tragedy, losing here in Paris. It had to happen one day, and this is an excellent season for me. Of course it's a bit sad, but I have to overcome this as quickly as possible.”

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