Soderling, Monaco reach Swedish Open final
Source: Agencies |
July 20, 2009, Monday
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SECOND-SEEDED Robin Soderling beat fellow Swede Andreas Vinciguerra 6-1, 7-6 (6) on Saturday to set up a meeting with Juan Monaco in the Swedish Open final in Bastad.
Monaco, an unseeded Argentine, routed two-time defending champion Tommy Robredo 6-0, 6-2 in the other semifinal on the slow clay.
Soderling, this year's surprise French Open finalist, saved a set point in the second-set tiebreaker when trailing 6-5.
He won it 8-6 when Vinciguerra netted a forehand return. Vinciguerra, a wildcard entry ranked No. 460, broke Soderling's serve only once to level at 3-3 in the second set.
The 12th-ranked Soderling reached his first final at Bastad.
"It's going to be fun," he said. "This is a tournament in which I really want to do well. I played well in the opening set.
"When I broke him early in the second I relaxed too much on the court and he came back."
Vinciguerra said he would support Soderling in the final.
"Robin played incredible, I hope he wins the final," he said.
Soderling will try to become the first Swedish winner of the tournament since 2000, when his coach Magnus Norman won the title.
In Stuttgart, Germany, Jeremy Chardy of France mastered windy, wet and cool conditions to defeat German veteran Nicolas Kiefer 6-3, 7-5 on Saturday for a place in the final of the Mercedes Cup.
Chardy, who is looking for his first career title, will play Victor Hanescu of Romania, who beat Fabio Fognini of Italy 6-3, 6-7 (4), 6-2.
Kiefer and Chardy both had to play twice Saturday, after their quarterfinals were washed out by rain.
Monaco, an unseeded Argentine, routed two-time defending champion Tommy Robredo 6-0, 6-2 in the other semifinal on the slow clay.
Soderling, this year's surprise French Open finalist, saved a set point in the second-set tiebreaker when trailing 6-5.
He won it 8-6 when Vinciguerra netted a forehand return. Vinciguerra, a wildcard entry ranked No. 460, broke Soderling's serve only once to level at 3-3 in the second set.
The 12th-ranked Soderling reached his first final at Bastad.
"It's going to be fun," he said. "This is a tournament in which I really want to do well. I played well in the opening set.
"When I broke him early in the second I relaxed too much on the court and he came back."
Vinciguerra said he would support Soderling in the final.
"Robin played incredible, I hope he wins the final," he said.
Soderling will try to become the first Swedish winner of the tournament since 2000, when his coach Magnus Norman won the title.
In Stuttgart, Germany, Jeremy Chardy of France mastered windy, wet and cool conditions to defeat German veteran Nicolas Kiefer 6-3, 7-5 on Saturday for a place in the final of the Mercedes Cup.
Chardy, who is looking for his first career title, will play Victor Hanescu of Romania, who beat Fabio Fognini of Italy 6-3, 6-7 (4), 6-2.
Kiefer and Chardy both had to play twice Saturday, after their quarterfinals were washed out by rain.
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