• What the Deuce

Paris redemption for ice-cool Soderling

Robin Soderling claimed his first Masters title in Paris © Getty Images

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• Profile: Robin Soderling

If 2009 was a breakthrough season for Robin Soderling, 2010 has been one of consolidation.

A second grand slam final appearance, a maiden Masters title in Paris, and now the Swede has climbed to No. 4 in the world rankings.

His win over a jaded Gael Monfils may not have been his toughest victory - but it was redemption for a player who has endured double heartache in Paris.

After one of the upsets of the century at the 2009 French Open, the then world No. 25 stunned four-time defending champion and top seed Rafael Nadal in the fourth round, before going on to beat Nikolay Davydenko and Fernando Gonzalez en route to his first grand slam final - eventually falling to Roger Federer, who completed his career Grand Slam with a win in Paris.

Fast forward a year and Soderling had established himself as a top-ten player, and for a second consecutive year the Swede had made it through to the final, seeing off Marin Cilic, Tomas Berdych and Federer on the way. But once again he fell at the final hurdle, this time to the unstoppable force of Nadal.

While Nadal has earned the title King of Clay, Federer can call the grass his own and Roddick is at home on the hard-courts - Soderling can lay claim to being the indoor king.

Five of his six titles have come indoors - the first came back in 2004 - his aggressive ground strokes are well-suited to the fast indoor courts, and Soderling was right at home on the fast courts of Paris-Bercy.

Soderling's rise in the rankings can largely be put down to his mental game - he has always had the power and aggression but his increasing focus and maturity has come as a result of his relationship with his coach, former world No. 2 Magnus Norman.

He required every last fibre of his nerves as he saved three match points in his semi-final win against Michael Llodra in front of a vocal partisan crowd - and it was an ice-cool performance worthy of a champion.

The comparisons will inevitably be drawn between Soderling and the great Swede Bjorn Borg, and while Soderling has a long way to go to match his hero - 11 grand slams to be precise - his composure was something even Borg would have been proud of.

Soderling fell to the floor in delight after winning the Paris Masters © Getty Images

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But as he clinched the victory in Paris, Soderling collapsed to the floor in delight. While he often shows little emotion on court, to finally claim a title in Paris, albeit not at Roland Garros, certainly meant the world to him.

"I don't have a very good record in finals and especially here in Paris, but I think a final is that one match you really want to win," he said. "I'm really happy that I played well today, and now I'm here winning the title. When I won that last point, I just felt so happy and I felt so relieved. I really wanted to win this match so much."

Soderling is not necessarily the most popular player on the tour - he does not have the worldwide following that Federer and Nadal enjoy. Though both he and Nadal seem to be over the bad blood at Wimbledon 2007 - Soderling mimicked Nadal's habit of yanking at his shorts before every point, leading to Nadal to label the player as "strange" and suggest that "nobody had anything nice to say about him".

Soderling's rise to No. 4 in the world is not a surprise - the 6'4" Swede has the game to beat the best players in the world. While he lacks the grace and flair of Federer, or the fitness and raw aggression of Nadal, or even the pure grit of Murray, Soderling has established himself in the game's elite with one of the most consistent all-round games.

He reached the semi-finals on his debut in London last year, beating both Federer and Djokovic on the way, and he could steamroll his way into the final - if he can harness his momentum after finally expelling his Paris demons.

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