TennisToday

Robin Soderling & JC Ferrero: ATP Weekend Winners

Bastad ATP 250 - Men's Final

1 Robin Soderling d 2 David Ferrer - 62 62

This is Robin's 4th ATP title on the year & the 10th of his career.

He is now 10-10 in finals.

This is the 3rd time Robin's become a 2-time champ: Lyon & Rotterdam.

The win did nothing for his ranking... He's stuck at #5 - way behind Murray.

Battle for #5: Ferrer is at Robin's heels with only 115 points separating them.

Neither of them had a good US swing last year so... It's on.

***

Stuttgart ATP 250 - Men's Final

Juan Carlos Ferrero d Pablo Andujar - 64 60

This is JC's 1st ATP title on the year & the 16th of his career.

He is now 16-18 in finals.

The win moves JC up 21 ranking spots to #64.

Deep field: And that only makes in the #11 player from Spain.

Plum loco.

 

 

Robin Soderling Comes from 2 Sets Down to Beat Lleyton Hewitt to Advance at Wimbledon

Wimbledon Men's Second Round

5 Robin Soderling d Lleyton Hewitt - 67(5) 36 75 64 64

This is the 3rd time in Robin's career he's come back from 2 set down.

He is defending a quarterfinal showing from last year.

This match was played in just under 4 hours with the roof closed.

Spare a thought for the '02 champ - Lleyton came awfully close.

Lleyton: In the end, I feel like I hit the ball pretty well.

I hit it a lot better than I did a couple days ago...

And I needed to against a guy like Soderling. It's just one of those days.

The roof closed I think helped his game, as well.

A Hall of Fame career is sadly nearing it's close.

Photo: Getty Images

Robin Soderling: "I'm more Batman & Robin."

Posting this while Robin is getting a Rafa beatdown right now...

Juan Martin Del Potro Upsets Robin Soderling in Estoril

Estoril ATP 250 - Quarterfinal

8 Juan Martin Del Potro d 1 Robin Soderling - 64 75

This is the 2nd time this year DelPo has straight setted Robin.

With the win DelPo moves into his 5th Sf on the year: 1-3.

He will next face Pablo Cuevas - they have never played before.

Fun fact: DelPo began the year ranked #259 - 4 months later he's #49.

And there are a bunch of guys hoping he can get into the top 32 before RG.

It could easily happen with 2 Master Series Events upcoming.

And remember, he's doing nothing but adding points for most of the year.

Photo: Getty Images

Robin Soderling & Jo-Wilfried Tsonga Visit Portuguese Navy While Playing ATP 250 Estoril

Yesterday Robin & Jo-W volleyed a bit aboard the Sagres in Lisbon.

Jo-W: The last time I was on a boat, which I rented for fishing...

I was sick for five hours.

Today both guys played their 1st matches of the tournament in Estoril.

1 Robin Sodering d Jeremy Chardy - 61 67(4) 61

Pablo Cuevas d 3 W/C Jo-Wilfried Tsonga - 62 76(0)

Just whoops, Jo.

Robin Soderling Upset in 2nd Round at ATP Barcelona

Barcelona ATP 500 - Second Round

Ivan Dodig d 3 Robin Soderling - 62 64

So Robin started his season winning 3 of his first 4 tournaments...

Now he is riding a bummer of a slump.

For his last 3 tournies (IW, Miami and now BCN) he has a W/L of 2-3.

Robin was the runner-up in '10 - #6 Ferrer will look to close the gap on him.

Wasn't it just a minute ago Robin was rockin' the #4 ranking?

Not defending points well - that's part of the deal.

Photo: Reuters

Robin Soderling Suffers Early Loss at Indian Wells

Indian Wells ATP Masters Series 1000 - Third Round

32 Philipp Kohlschreiber d 4 Robin Soderling - 76(8) 64

Ah, so Robin had a foot issue before he ever took the court.

He said he shouldn't have played - losing just his 2nd match of 2011.

This is Philipp's 6th visit to a Masters 1000 4th round: 4-1.

He'll next face a 'back on track' Juan Martin Del Potro - H2H: 2-0/JMDP.

Philipp: Even if del Potro is not seeded, he is the favorite.

Photo: Getty Images

Robin Soderling Wins ATP Title in Marseille

Marseille ATP 250 - Final

1 Robin Soderling d Marin Cilic - 67(8) 63 63

Robin is on fire in '11 - this is his 3rd title in 4 tourneys so far this year.

He is 17-1 on the season - his only loss was to Dolgopolov at Aussie Open.

With Rotterdam last week this is the 1st time he's won back-to-back titles.

This is Robin's 9th ATP title & 1st time he's won more than 2 in a year.

And with this being only February one thinks he'll be adding to that title tally.

The win also solidifies his #4 ranking ahead of Andy Murray.

Robin will take a week off before the Davis Cup tie against Russia in Sweden.

Then it's off to the US swing where he'll look to continue his winning ways.

He may need to look into getting a bigger mantle soon.

The 3 ATP Titlists from Last Week All Win Tough 2nd Round Matches Today

These boys are breaking the ol' "win one week/lose early the next" curse.

The following are all 2nd round matches moving into the quarterfinals.

***

In Memphis last weeks San Jose champion:

W/C Milos Raonic (above) d Radek Stepanek - 64 67(10) 76(1)

I think someone is starting to enjoy the big time.

***

In Marseille last weeks Rotterdam champion:

1 Robin Soderling d W/C Nicolas Mahut - 76(8) 76 (5)

Sets up Qf meeting with defending champ Michael Llodra - H2H: 2-1/ML.

Llodra actual beat Robin in the Qf here last year.

***

In Buenos Aires last weeks Costa do Sauipe champion:

1 Nicloas Almagro d Leonardo Mayer - 67(3) 61 63

Fun fact: Nico is ranked #13 but is only the #4 player from Spain.

Robin Soderling is in Marseille Looking for a 3rd ATP Title in 2011

Marseille is Robin's 4th tourney in '11 - he's won 2 of the other 3.

He has already lifted trophies in Brisbane & Rotterdam this season.

Aside from his shock 4th R loss at the Aussie Open to Dolgopolov...

This winning thing is becoming a bit of a habit for Robin.

He has a W/L of 10-4 at Marseille & was the runner-up in '04 to Hrbaty.

Robin enjoyed a 1st R bye & plays Nicolas Mahut tomorrow - H2H: 1-0/RS.

He is looking to win this title for Sweden for a 5th time...

Thomas Enqvist won in '97, '98, '02 & Jaochin Johansson in '05.

Robin tweeted these photos from Marsielle today. The bottom captioned:

Signing autographs here in Marseille.

Pretty cool to see the fans face-to-face like this.

Robin Soderling Wins ATP Title at Rotterdam

Rotterdam ATP 500 - Final

1 Robin Soderling d 8 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga - 63 36 63

Robin tweeted the photo above captioned: Thanks everyone!

Incredibly happy about my win. Is it obvious that I like Rotterdam?!

This is Robin's 8th ATP title & 1st time in his career he's defended a title.

Robin collects his 2nd title in the young season - matching last year already.

Robin: I’ve had a very good start to this season.

I’ve already won two titles and only lost one match in three tournaments.

That loss was the surpriser to Dolgopolov in the 4th round at Aussie Open.

#4: Robin maintains his points to remain ranked just ahead of Andy Murray.

Robin & Jo are now headed to Marseille and can only meet again in the final.

As for Jo, a final round showing is an encouraging sign of tennis life.

He's still on a title drought tho - dating back to Tokyo in Oct of '09.

Let's get on title board soon Jo. In Marseille perhaps?

Robin Soderling Wins a Thriller in Rotterdam to Move into Quarterfinals

Rotterdam ATP 500 - Second Round

1 Robin Soderling d Philipp Kohlschreiber - 63 57 76(7)

In playing their 4th match together Robin finally beat Philipp: 3-1/PK.

And boy does that scoreline look like it was a great match.

Robin is trying to defend the title he won here last year.

He will next face 6th seed Mikhail Youzhny in the Qf's - H2H: 4-1/RS.

Robin has won their last 4 matches - and they weren't even close.

Remember, Mikhail retired the match to Robin in last years final.

Men's Tennis Heads to Rotterdam for 2011's 1st ATP 500

Robin Soderling tweeted this cute photo from Rotterdam yesterday.

Robin & Andy Murray are the top seeds at 2011's 1st ATP 500 tourney.

Robin is the defender which means the battle for #4 is on in Rotterdam.

Novak Djokovic pulled out with a sore shoulder. Riiiiiiiight.

***

Rotterdam's Top 8 Seeds - Previous Best

1. Robin Soderling - 2010 Winner

2. Andy Murray - 2009 Winner

3. David Ferrer - '07 Qf'ist

4. Tomas Berdych - '05, '08 Round of 16

5. Jurgen Melzer - '10 Qf'ist

6. Mikhail Youzhny - 2007 Winner

7. Ivan Ljubicic - '05, '07 Runner-up

8. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga - '09 Qf'ist

***

Potential Quarterfinals

1 Robin Soderling vs 6 Mikhail Youzhny

Spoilers: Philipp Kohlschreiber, Ernests Gulbis, Thiemo De Bakker

3 David Ferrer vs 5 Jurgen Melzer

Spoilers: Viktor Troicki, Marin Cilic, Jarkko Nieminen

4 Tomas Berdych vs 8 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga

Spoilers: Nikolay Davydenko, Guillermo Garcia-Lopez, Andrey Golubev

2 Andy Murray vs 7 Ivan Ljubivcic

Spoilers: Gilles Simon, Marcos Baghdatis, Florian Mayer

Australian Open Day 8: A Quick Summary

The following are all 4th round matches.

1 Rafael Nadal d 15 Marin Cilic - 62 64 63

Much has been made of Rafa's lingering illness the last few days, well...

Rafa: Today I felt very good, no? I didn't sweat like the other days.

Today was the first day that I felt perfect physically.

There you go.

Rafa advances to his 5th AO Qf: 2-2. He lost to Murray in the Qf last year.

He has only faced 16 break points in 4 matches - losing serve just 3 times.

3 Kim Clijsters d Ekaterina Makarova - 76(3) 62

Kim has not looked terribly great in her last two matches. But still gets thru.

Ut-oh: This is Kim's 6th trip to the Qf's - a round in which she has never lost.

Kim will face Agnieszka Radwanska - Kim destoyed her in their only match.

5 Andy Murray d 11 Jurgen Melzer - 63 61 61

UNBELIEVABLE: In 4 matches Andy has lost only 22 games.

Half of the 12 sets he has played have had this score: 6-1.

Another two went to: 6-2. The rest went to: 6-3. That's all. Totally crazy.

Upside: Welcome to the top 10 Jurgen. Well deserved.

2 Vera Zvonareva d Iveta Benesova - 64 61

As we all know, Vera is looking for her maiden Slam.

Vera: The assessment? Well, I think I did pretty good overall. You know,

I started off okay, but then she was able to go 4 2 up in the first set.

I thought I was a little bit slow, a little bit passive. But then...

I was able to find the right momentum, stay a little bit more aggressive.

I kept that till the end of the match and I'm really happy about that.

7 David Ferrer d Milos Raonic - 46 62 63 64

I think a lot of people were predicting an upset here & after the 1st set...

David showed them. In the end he made 10 unforced errors in the match.

But hey, there is no denying Milos is going to be huge - SOON.

This is David 2nd trip to the Qf's: 0-1. As a reward - he get's Rafa next.

But he must think he's in with a chance - he's beaten Rafa 3 times.

12 Agnieszka Radwanska d Shuai Peng - 75 36 75

Well, we knew from the history of these 2 that is was going deep in the 3rd.

This is Agnieszka's 4th trip to a Slam Qf: 0-3.

Remember, she recently had surgery on her ankle.

Ag: Yeah, I think I should have surgery before every Grand Slam definitely.

Hey, whatever works!

Alexandr Dolgopolov d 4 Robin Soderling - 16 63 61 46 62

Shock of the tournament. Could very well go down as the upset of the year.

This, in only his 4th Slam main draw.

Vowels: Doesn't it look like he's missing a letter in both names? An E & an O.

Alex: I was on tour all the time when my father was a coach.

Then I started to play myself. It's a lot of work.

Now I'm happy something's paying off and I'm getting my goals together...

25 Petra Kvitova d 22 Flavia Pennetta - 36 63 63

This is Petra's 2nd Slam Qf: 1-0. She got to the Sf's at Wimby last year.

With a 2nd round loss her last year look for her ranking to get a nice bump.

Consolation: Flavia is seeded #1 in doubles with Gisela Dulko & still alive.

Photos: Reuters/Getty Images

Australian Open Day 6: A Quick Summary

The following are all 3rd Round matches.

5 Andy Murray d Guillermo Garcia-Lopez - 61 61 62

Utter and complete demolition of the Spaniard. Outclassed from first ball.

Andy moves into his 13th Slam 4th round: 6-6.

He'll next play 11 Jurgen Melzer - H2H: 4-0/AM.

3 Kim Clijsters d Alize Cornet - 76(3) 63

Kim wins even though playing spotty tennis.

And this is how Alize celebrated her 21st birthday.

This is Kim 7th trip to the Aussie Open 4th round: 5-1.

Incredible: She has also advanced to 23 Slam 4th rounds: 17-5.

4 Robin Soderling d Jan Hernych - 63 61 64

Ok Robin, where have you been hiding those abs? Someone call Armani!

Heads-up: Robin hasn't dropped a set and is on fire so far in 3 matches.

In fact, Robin hasn't dropped a set yet this year!

15 Marin Cilic d 20 John Isner - 46 62 67(5) 76(2) 97

Marin is trying to get to the Sf's for a 2nd straight year.

He'll next take on 1 Rafael Nadal - a player he beat pretty badly 2 years ago.

Will Marin be the one to stop the Rafa Slam?

Photos: Reuters/Getty images

Australian Open Day 4: A Quick Summary

For some reason I just can't get my blogging juices going lately, sorry.

The following are second round matches all:

5 Andy Murray d Illya Marchenko - 61 63 63

Boy, the big boys sure aren't wasting any time getting thru these matches.

This is Andy's 4th trip to the 3rd round: 3-0. Remember, he was RU in '10.

He will next face 32 Guillermo Garcia-Lopez - H2H: 1-0/AM.

Andy is on track to face #4 stealer Robin Soderling in the Qf's.

5 Samantha Stosur d Vera Dushevina - 63 62

Ah, the hopes of a nation...

Boy, for Sam to win this thing she's gonna have to play some great players.

Up next is Petra Kvitova a Sf'ist at Wimby last year - H2H: 1-0/PK.

Take a deep breath Australia & hold it. Sam'll let you know when to exhale.

4 Robin Soderling d Gilles Muller - 63 76(1) 61

Ding ding ding - this is the furthest Robin has ever gone at the Aussie Open.

Which means he's now padding that #4 ranking ahead of #5 Andy Murray.

And with Andy defending finalist points... well, you do the math.

As I mentioned earlier - Robin & Andy are heading to a Qf showdown.

7 David Ferrer d Michael Russel - 60 61 75

The Spanish #2 has looked quite good thru 2 rounds of play.

You might find this surprising but he's been to the 3rd round 5 times: 3-1.

Except at the Slams last season David has a phenominal year.

It'll be interesting to watch him try to follow it up. Another trip to London?

2 Vera Zvonareva d Bojana Jovanovski - 26 63 61

After that 1st set it sure seemed like Vera was a goner, didn't it?

A little more experience and i'm thinking Bojana will be a big name.

Vera has 31 Lucie Safarova next - odd that they've never played before.

13 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga d Andreas Seppi - 63 76(1) 76(5)

Ok guys, this is Jo-W's best Slam - can he work more of his magic this year?

It's doable but he has a very tough quarter - Murray/Soderling.

Even his next match is a tricky one, Alexandr Dolgopolov - H2H: 1-0/JWT.

But... that win was 10-8 in the 5th at Wimby last year.

***

Well, those were some highlights for me. Enjoy Day 5 everyone.

Photos: Reuters/Getty Images

Robin Soderling & Andy Murray Win Opening Matches at the Australian Open

Australian Open - Men's First Round

4 Robin Soderling d Potito Starace - 64 62 62

5 Andy Murray d Karol Beck - 63 61 42 ret.

I know it's early and they both have to win 3 more matches but...

Nobody is coming between these 2 men from meeting in the Qf's.

Yes I see the names Tsonga, Del Potro & Baghdatis in there. No matter.

How's that for some chrystal ball reporting?

Both Robin & Andy are still in search of maiden Slam titles.

Remember, they are the losing finalists at the 1st 2 Slams of '10.

Andy lost to Roger at AO & Robin lost to Rafa at RG.

AO best results: Andy finalist in '10 & Robin 2nd round showings in '02 & '04.

Let's make this happen.

Photos: Reuters/Getty Images

Shirtless Sexy Andy Murray Practice at Australian Open

In recent weeks Andy has fallen to #5 as Robin Soderling moved past him.

Andy will pretty much have to win the title to reclaim his place at #4.

Remember, Andy has finalist points to defend; Robin only 1st round points.

And as fate would have it they've fittingly drawn each other in the quarters.

I'm betting this hot-buttered popcorn match will happen next week.

Andy opens play 3rd on Hisense today against Karol Beck - H2H: 0-0.

I know where you can find C-Note this afternoon.

Photos: AP

Robin Soderling in Practice for the Australian Open

While Venus is a quiet #4 seed - #4 Robin comes in amid great expectation.

He has a decidedly shoddy 2-5 match record in Melbourne.

I suspect he'll at least even that out in the next couple of weeks.

He'll start play against Italian Potito Starace - H2H: 1-1.

Robin was handed the toughest quarter - Andy Murray's!

And they (if seedings hold) will battle for the right to face Rafa in the Sf's.

Let the fun begin.

Robin Soderling Wins ATP 250 Title in Brisbane

Brisbane ATP 250 - Men's Final

1 Robin Soderling d 2 Andy Roddick - 63 75

Robin wins his 7th title in 17 finals & improves his H2H against Andy to 4-2.

Many tennis folk are expecting 2011 to be a big year for the Swede.

His win today moves him up to #4 bumping Andy Murray to #5.

Last year Del Potro sent Murray to #5. How will this impact the AO11?

Last year it created a Nadal/Murray Qf - which seemed too soon, no?

Robin heads to AO11 a 1st round loser in '10 - he's never been past the 2nd.

W/L records at the Aussie for both players: Robin is 2-5 - Andy is 34-9.

At the trophy ceremony Andy doubled his ace donation to $200 per...

In the end his 54 aces contributed $10,800 for Queensland flood victims.

Nice going Andy.