Match report

Robin Söderling © Tennistalk.com
BNP Paribas Masters
2nd round
10/29/08 1 2 Tot
se  Robin Söderling 4 1798 0
ch  Roger Federer 6 2311 2
Roger Federer © Tennistalk.com

  • Federer too tough for Söderling

    10/30/08 1:16 AM | Ricky Dimon
    Roger Federer takes out Robin Söderling in straight sets on Wednesday night in Paris. Next up for Federer is Marin Cilic.

    Something had to give when two of last week's title winners squared off in the second round of the Masters Series Paris on Wednesday. Roger Federer made sure it was Robin Söderling who gave out first.

    Federer, who triumphed in Basel last Sunday, defeated Söderling 6-4, 7-6(7) in one hour and 14 minutes to set up a third-round encounter with Marin Cilic.

    It was not easy; it never is indoors against Söderling, who captured the Lyon crown last weekend. The Swede has appeared in nine ATP finals throughout his career, every single one of them indoors. Söderling, however, started out slow and an early break turned out to be all Federer needed to take the opening set. Federer put in 83 percent of his first deliveries and lost a mere three points in five service games.

    Realizing it was going to take something special just to stay with Federer on this night, Söderling's raised his level in set two. The No. 19 player in the world served at 73 percent and did not face a single break point as serving dominated the second frame of play. Söderling lost just nine points on serve and Federer dropped only seven en route to an inevitable tiebreaker. Söderling secured a mini-break at 5-5 to put the set on his racket, but he cost himself dearly my missing an easy forehand after controlling the point. He had another set point at 7-6 on his opponent's serve, but Federer brushed it aside with a big serve-forehand combination. The world No. 2 then capitalized on his first match point by blasting another forehand down the line that Söderling could not handle.

    Federer and Cilic will clash for the first time in their careers on Thursday with a quarterfinal berth on the line.

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