Top-seeded Robin Soderling reaches quarterfinals at Stockholm Open
By APThursday, October 22, 2009
Soderling advances to quarters in Stockholm
STOCKHOLM — Robin Soderling defeated Andreas Seppi 6-1, 6-3 Thursday to reach the quarterfinals at the Stockholm Open.
The top-seeded Swede, playing in front of another sellout crowd at the Royal Tennis Hall, has not lost a set in his two first matches.
He broke Seppi twice and never faced break point in the opening set.But Soderling fell behind 3-0 in the second after double-faulting twice and dropping his serve for the first time in the match.
He recovered to reel off six consecutive games and won the set on his third match point when Seppi netted a return.
Soderling, a surprise finalist in the French Open this year, will play Guillermo Garcia-Lopez. A two-time finalist in the Swedish capital, Soderling is the only seeded player left in the tournament.
Olivier Rochus rallied to defeat eighth-seeded Feliciano Lopez of Spain 4-6, 6-4, 6-1 in another second-round match.
Jarkko Nieminen of Finland advanced to the last eight without hitting a shot as his second-seeded opponent Tommy Haas withdrew because of the flu.
Marcos Baghdatis of Cyprus and qualifier Arnaud Clement of France joined them in the quarterfinals.
Baghdatis ousted Robert Kendrick of the United States 6-2, 6-2, and Clement rallied to beat Michael Berrer of Germany 3-6, 7-6 (5), 6-1.
