Tennis: Soderling claims first clay win of 2011

ETORIL: Soderling coasted in the first and last sets but had to fight for his life in the second to emerge with a 6-1, 6-7 (4/7), 6-1 defeat of Jeremy Chardy to win his opening battle at the Estoril Open.

The Swedish top-seed needed almost two hours to go past his French opponent, who put up a huge struggle at the midway point of the second-round contest.

Brazilian Thomaz Bellucci, seeded sixth, handed France another defeat on the day as he beat Eduard Roger-Vasselin 6-3, 5-7, 7-5.

Meanwhile, in the women’s event, Czech number three Klara Zakopalova came back against Anastasiya Yakimova of Belarus 2-6, 6-4, 6-1.





Published in The Express Tribune, April 28^th, 2011.