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  • Open 13 Quarterfinal Preview: Ancic vs. Söderling

    2/15/08 11:46 AM | Mattias Yrgård
    - This all-unseeded matchup between Mario Ancic and Robin Söderling in the quarterfinals of the Open 13 features two injury-plagued players who are making their returns to the ATP Tour following relatively extensive absences.

    Two surprise quarterfinalists will do battle on Friday afternoon in Marseille when Mario Ancic faces off with Robin Söderling. Despite having played just two matches each this week, it has already been a successful comeback for both players regardless of what happens in this unexpected but highly-anticipated showdown.

    Ancic, who is down to No. 135 in the world after once being ranked all the way up at No. 7, had not played in 2008 prior to the Open 13 due to nagging shoulder and back injuries. But it’s clear after just two matches that the 6’5’’ Croat is more than ready to come back. In the first round he stunned seventh-seeded and Australian Open runner-up Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 7-6, 7-6(3) and then crushed qualifier Teimuraz Gabashvili 6-3, 6-2 in the second. When his shoulder is healthy Ancic possesses one of the strongest serves in tennis, and that has been on full display so far in Marseille.

    Before this week, Soderling had not played since last August at the Masters Series Canada, where he retired in his first-round match against Marat Safin. The Swede was ranked 26th in the world when a wrist injury forced him out of tennis, but the missed time has dropped him to his current position of No. 52. Now that Söderling is healthy, however, it is not hard to see that he has the potential to get back where he belongs. He defeated Jarkko Nieminen 6-3, 5-7, 7-5 in the first round and on Thursday upset second-seeded Richard Gasquet 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 to reach the quarterfinals. Highlights for Söderling in 2007 before his injury included semifinal appearances in Doha, Marseille, and Dubai, a quarterfinal run at the Masters Series Monte Carlo, and a berth in the third round at Wimbledon, where he put up a great fight against Rafael Nadal before losing 7-5 in the fifth.

    This is the first-ever meeting between Ancic and Soderling and it should be one in which breaks of serve are few and far between. The 6’3’’ Swede has fired 33 aces past his opponents in two matches at the Open 13, while the 6’5’’ Croat is still yet to lose serve after two contests. Ancic could have a very slight edge in this contest, as his serve is just a bit bigger than Söderling’s and his wins this week have been just a little bit more impressive.

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