Robin Soderling Captures 50th Win Of The Season

(Nov. 4, 2010) Robin Soderling restored order to a Valencia draw rocked by upsets yesterday by reaching a milestone today.

The second-seeded Swede scored his 50th win of the season with a 6-2, 6-3 triumph over Spain's Daniel Gimeno-Traver at the Valencia Open 500.  Soderling is the fifth man this season to win 50 or more matches.

It marks the first time in Soderling's 10-year career he's won 50 or more matches in a season. Soderling concluded the 2009 season with a 49-21 record and a world ranking of No. 8.

The 26-year-old Soderling will play either eighth-seeded Gael Monfils or Stanislas Wawrinka for a place in the final four.

The win came a day after top-seeded defending champion Andy Murray and third-seeded Spaniard Fernando Verdasco were upset. Juan Monaco tripped up Murray, 6-2, 3-6, 6-2. Frenchman Gilles Simon slammed Verdasco, 6-1, 6-3.

Seeds were untroubled today as fourth-seeded Spaniard David Ferrer flogged Teymuraz Gabashvili 6-4, 6-1, and sixth-seeded Nikolay Davydenko beat Argentina's Juan Ignacio Chela, 7-6(0), 6-2 to advance to his eighth quarterfinal of the season and a meeting with Simon.

Italy's Potito Starace outlasted Pablo Cuevas of Uruguay, 7-6(2), 2-6, 6-2. Ferrer, who is fighting to qualify for the ATP World Tour Finals in London, will play Starace for a semifinal spot.

Soderling won 24 of 26 points on his first serve and did not drop serve in the match.