Vamos...Rafa??

More like "Adios, Rafa". The undisputed King of Clay Rafael Nadal sustained his first ever loss on the red clay of Roland Garros at the French Open earlier Sunday. Nadal came in having won the last 4 titles at the French, all 31 of his previous matches, the last 32 sets, and had never even been taken to the full 5 sets at a French Open match. Who was the assassin that took him out? That honor belongs to 23rd ranked Robin Soderling of Sweden, who did what many tennis followers believed to be impossible-- beat Nadal on clay in a 5 set match at Roland Garros. Soderling needed just 4 sets, though a little over 3 hours, to knock off the 4-time defending champ. He played what many have described as the perfect match to beat Nadal: an uber-aggressive, all out offensive assault, "high-risk tennis" as ESPN's Darren Cahill put it. Soderling stepped into the court and took, massive cuts at the ball, and dictated play, putting Rafa in an unfamiliar position of trailing early in a French Open match. The Swede was able to keep up that high level of play throughout the 4 sets, keeping Nadal on his heels and on the defensive. Soderling's 61 winners were nearly double Nadal's tally and his serves routinely approached 140 mph. The end result was a 6-2, 6-7, 6-4, 7-6 triumph. Nadal was as gracious as always in his defeat, refusing to make excuses and already preparing to defend his Wimbledon crown.

With Nadal out at the French, the tournament has become wide open, with several players now capable of capturing the title. The man who stands to gain the most is probably Roger Federer. The 13-time Grand Slam champion has never won this tournament, losing to Nadal each of the last 4 years (including the last 3 finals). With 4th seeded Novak Djokovic also falling yesterday, Federer's draw has opened up in his favor. Both his probable semifinal and final opponent are now gone, clearing the way for Federer to tie Pete Sampras' mark of 14 career Grand Slam singles titles. Also benefiting is Andy Murray, the 3rd seed who would have had to face Nadal in the semis. Murray has risen through the tennis ranks rapidly over the last year, reaching last year's U.S. Open final and climbing to a career high number 3 in the rankings. He is still looking for his first career Grand Slam. American Andy Roddick, the 6th seed, also may have some hope, though this is the farthest he has ever advanced in this tournament. Standing in his way are a couple homeland french favorites, 11th seeded Gael Monfils (whom Roddick faces tomorrow) and 9th seeded Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (who plays No. 5 Juan Martin del Potro tomorrow) as well as Federer likely looming in the semis. In a tournament that has lacked upsets, the biggest one of all came today.