June 02, 2010

Tennis Canada

Tuesday was an upsetting day for many at the 2010 French Open as the defending champion and world’s No. 1 player packed up his things after losing in the quarter-finals to the fifth-seed, Robin Soderling. The score was 3-6, 6-3, 7-5, 6-4, and for Roger Federer this meant the end of his streak of reaching the semifinals in 23 consecutive Grand Slams. This also means that Rafael Nadal could take over the No. 1 position on the ATP rankings if he wins his fifth French Open title in Paris.

Last year at Roland Garros, Soderling also upset Nadal in an early round making him the first player to beat a defending champion at the French Open in back-to-back years since 1984. On Tuesday, he was finally able to break his 12-match losing streak against Federer. Soderling will now go head-to-head with Tomas Berdych who has been playing flawless tennis throughout this tournament, not dropping a set. His quarter-final match-up against Mikhail Youzhny ended with a score of 6-3, 6-1, 6-2.

This was not a great round for top players like Novak Djokovic, as the third-seed was defeated by world No. 27 Jurgen Melzer, who has never gone beyond the third round of a Grand Slam tournament until now. Melzer is also the first Austrian, since former No. 1 Thomas Muster to make it to the semifinals at Roland Garros. The Austrian made quite the comeback as he was down two sets to love and fought back to win the next three sets for a final score of 3-6, 2-6, 6-2, 7-6(3), 6-4.

The other quarter-final match in the bottom half of the draw was slightly more effortless for Nadal as he managed to get through yet another match without dropping a set, although it was tight against Nicolas Almagro. Almagro put up a fight, but Nadal would not let up and ended up beating his Spanish compatriot, 7-6(2), 7-6(3), 6-4. Next, Nadal will take on Melzer.

That wasn’t the only quarter-final match that stunned viewers. In the women’s draw, Francesca Schiavone, the No. 17 seed and the first Italian woman to reach the semifinals of the French Open, beat Caroline Wozniacki in straight sets, 6-2, 6-3 and will now have to face Elena Dementieva, who toppled her fellow Russian Nadia Petrova in three sets.

Meanwhile in the top half of the women’s draw, Samantha Stosur sent Serena Williams home as she handed the No. 1 player a three set defeat, 6-2, 7-6 (2), 8-6. Jelena Jankovic however had no problem taking her match in straight sets against Yaroslava Shvedova, the unexpected French Open quarter-finalist. She will go on to play Stosur in the semifinals, which will begin Thursday.