Soderling hasn't lost a set all season.(credit: Shane Lambert)
Robin Soderling is up against Czech outsider Jan Hernych in the third round of the Australian OpenWorld No. 4 Robin Soderling is yet to lose a set in competitive play this season, and should be confident ahead of Friday’s third round matchup with Jan Hernych. Soderling, who had previously never made it past round two in Melbourne, seems to be getting better every year and might be able to mount a respectable title challenge this time around.
His 31 year-old opponent is making a maiden appearance in a third round Slam match. Hernych, a qualifier, is ranked outside of the top two hundred, and was not expected to reach this stage of the competition. A lengthy five-setter against Thomaz Belllucci (6-2, 6-7, 6-4, 6-7, 8-6) set him up for this contest, which means he’s likely to be a little fatigued. Whilst the Czech will surely give it his all, Soderling could not have asked for a much kinder third round draw.
The Swede required just less than two hours to see off Gilles Muller in the second round, controlling the match with his ferocious serve and powerful baseline play. He looks more than capable of another straight sets victory here, and could well feature in the singles draw towards the end of next week.
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