Robin Soderling Man To Beat In Group B
26 November 2009
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Robin Soderling is proving that he is the man to beat as he dispatched Novak Djokovic in straight sets yesterday afternoon.
Group B got their second robin round matches underway as the defending champion Djokovic came face to face with Rafael Nadal’s conqueror Soderling.
The opening set was a very close affair as both men produced some great tennis but Djokovic missed the chance to break in the early part of the set.
Frustration set in early for the world number three who, of late, has been riding the wave of success with titles in Basel and Paris.
Coming into the tournament Djokovic was the man to beat but has looked sluggish throughout the tournament as he scraped past Nikolay Davydenko on Monday.
Soderling on the other hand was a late entry into the ATP World Tour Finals after Andy Roddick withdrew through injury but has produced nothing but fabulous tennis to top the group.
The pair went toe to toe in the opening set at 5-4 Djokovic had to fight off three set points before going to a tie break.
Despite missing out on the chance to clinch the opening set Soderling kept him composure as his serve rained down on his opponent in the tie break.
Djokovic was clearly frustrated with his play and vented is anger at his camp as Soderling wrapped up the tie break 7-5 to take the opening set.
And it was downhill from there as Djokovic’s game disintegrated and he continued to scream at his camp as Soderling took a strangle hold on the match.
After Djokovic won the opening game of the second set Soderling went on an impressive six game run to wrap up the match 7-6 (7-5) 6-1 in just over ninety minutes..
Speaking to the BBC after the match he said: “I didn’t enjoy playing today’s match that’s for sure. He was serving really well and all credit to him.
"He won four straight sets and absolutely deserved to qualify for the semi-finals. I think he's the best player so far in the tournament."
The world number three must now face Rafael Nadal in Friday’s deciding match in a bid to keep his dreams of retaining the title alive.
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