Five time French Open winner and World No.1 Rafael Nadal faces his nemesis No.5 seed Robin Soderling, Wednesday June 1st, in the quarter-finals of the 2011 French Open, at Roland Garros. Nadal has a 5-2 record against Soderling. French Open oddsmakers have Rafael Nadal as -350 moneyline favourite over Robin Soderling (+250). Be sure to get your 2011 French Open: Rafael Nadal vs Robin Soderling predictions in early.
Rafael Nadal beat Ivan Ljubicic of Croatia 7-5, 6-3, 6-3 on Court Philippe Chatrier. It was the 224th clay-court win of his career (224-18) and he now has a 7-2 record against 32-year-old Ljubicic. The match lasted two hours and 26 minutes. "I have improved since the tournament started," said Nadal. "I'm able to play better and I'm going to continue on this path." Nadal hit 25 winners to 34 for Ljubicic. He dropped nine points on his first serve and committed 24 unforced errors in a repeat of their 2006 Roland Garros semi-final. Nadal will face the only man ever to beat him at Roland Garros, Robin Soderling, in the quarter-finals of the clay-court major after they both recorded straight-sets wins on Monday in Paris. The No. 5-ranked Soderling stunned Nadal in the 2009 fourth round en route to reaching his first Grand Slam final (l. to Federer). Last year the Swede reached the final again, but Nadal earned his revenge by winning the title for a fifth time.
Robin Soderling earned his place in the quarter-finals as he disappointed French hopeful Gilles Simon 6-2, 6-3, 7-6(5) in two hours and 16 minutes. The fifth seed squandered a break advantage in the third set as Simon staged a late fight back, with the Frenchman later saving three match points in the 12th game to force a tie-break. Soderling quickly raced to a 6-2 lead in the tie-break, and finally converted his seventh match point to claim his 19th victory at Roland Garros. came into Roland Garros having won nine of his past 11 matches, reaching back-to-back quarter-finals at Madrid (losing to Federer) and Rome (losing to Djokovic) and winning three matches for Sweden at the Power Horse World Team Cup in Dusseldorf. He opened the season in strong form, winning three titles in his first four tournaments at Brisbane (defeated Roddick), Rotterdam (defeated Tsonga) and Marseille (defeated Cilic).
Head to Head: Nadal leads 5-2
2006 Roland Garros Clay R128 Nadal, Rafael
2007 Wimbledon Grass R32 Nadal, Rafael
2009 ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Rome Clay R16 Nadal, Rafael
2009 Roland Garros Clay R16 Soderling, Robin
2009 Barclays ATP World Tour Finals Hard RR Soderling, Robin
2010 Roland Garros Clay F Nadal, Rafael
2010 Wimbledon Grass Q Nadal, Rafael
Rafael Nadal vs Robin Soderling
When: Wednesday, June 1, 5:00 AM ET
Pick: Nadal -350
Point-Spreads.com 2011 French Open: Rafael Nadal vs Robin Soderling Odds & Predictions
The Bottom Line: If you like to pick underdogs, this could be up your alley. Be sure to get your 2011 French Open: Rafael Nadal vs Robin Soderling predictions in early.
