• French Open, Day Ten

Federer crashes out to Soderling

Robin Soderling's powerful serve was too much for Roger Federer © Getty Images

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Roger Federer's bid for a 17th Grand Slam title came to a halt at the hands of Robin Soderling who secured a 3-6 6-3 7-5 6-4 win to book his place in the semi-finals of the French Open.

The world No. 1 had not dropped a set ahead of his meeting with Soderling and that looked set to continue as he eased through the first set, but he was constantly troubled by the Swede's smearing forehand.

Soderling came out after a rain break to take the third and it spurred him on to secure victory - and in so doing deny Federer his 24th consecutive Grand Slam semi-finals appearance.

The first set was Federer at his purest as he produced nine stunning games of tennis, dropping just two points on his own serve. Soderling did little wrong, but his Swiss opponent committed only three unforced errors as he gracefully negotiated the Philippe Chatrier court.

Federer's first three service games lasted a combined total of four minutes, allowing him to pile pressure on the Soderling serve. Two break points arrived in the Swede's opening service game, and there was a further opportunity midway through the set - all saved to the credit of the world No. 7. The break eventually arrived in the eighth game, thanks to Federer's greater precision and variety, allowing the world No. 1 to serve for the set. A third service game to love did just that, leaving Soderling to question what he had done wrong.

However, Soderling is coached by Magnus Norman nowadays, himself a French Open finalist in 2000, and he told his charge on their first day together to 'never give up, ever'. And, despite the fact Federer had beaten him on all 12 of their previous encounters, Soderling summoned the energy to fight back.

Having made no inroads at all on the Federer serve in set one, the Swede suddenly broke at the start of the second for a 3-0 advantage. Then, relying upon an improved first serve that crept up from 47 to 59 percent success rate, Soderling served out for 1-1.

The contest had become an even scrap. Soderling threw the kitchen sink at his opponent, Federer stayed strong on either wing to keep on serve. A break point came and went for the Swiss at 5-4 and he was made to pay the price as, after the resumption following a lengthy rain break, Soderling secured a break of his own and served out with an ace to move ahead in the match.

Federer showed the hallmark of a champion by breaking at the start of the fourth set, prompting a huge roar of emotion, but he threw in arguably his sloppiest game of the match to allow Soderling an immediate break back.

Soderling's crushing forehand forced Federer deeper behind the baseline and in the end he simply ran out of ideas - his play summed up by an awful drop shot that only made it halfway up the net - as the Swede broke for a 5-4 lead.

The pressure was on Soderling to serve out and he did not wilt, as his crushing serve out wide to the Federer backhand secured him a place in the semi-finals and atoned for his defeat to Federer in the final 12 months ago.

Soderling will face Tomas Berdych in the semi-finals after Andy Murray's conqueror gave out a lesson in power tennis to Mikhail Youzhny.

Berdych was too strong for Murray and he proved that win was no fluke as he gave up just six games in a 6-3 6-1 6-2 victory.

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