Robin Soderling breaks Roger Federer, then breaks down in loss

No. 5 seed robin Soderling shook off the loss of the first two sets and the effects of an overwhelming display of shotmaking and serving by Roger Federer to break the No. 2 seed and take a 5-3 lead in the third set. But with a chance to serve out the set and get back in the match, Soderling let Federer break back in the next game.

The rest was just mathematics, but the umpire could have called, "Game, set match" right there. Federer went on to regain full control of the set and then finished off a 6-4, 6-4 7-5 U.S. Open quarterfinal victory Wednesday night at Arthur Ashe Stadium.

Federer served 15 aces before Soderling fired his first one in the fifth game of the third set. But the Swede continued to play solid tennis and compete even as Federer was playing a surpassing game. However, after Federer broke back when Soderling netted a forehand in the ninth game, the Swiss player rushed to capitalize on his momentum.

After squaring the set, 5-5, Federer went up two break points in the 11th game. Soderling fought off the first but then hit a backhand wide to lose his serve for the second straight game. Federer then served out the set, finishing with his 18th ace, and advanced to the semifinals, where he will meet No. 3 Novak Djokovic, whom he has eliminated at the Open for three straight years, once in the 2007 final and in the semis the past two years.

"I practiced my serve my whole career," Federer said. "If I can't serve in the wind, I've got a problem. You could wake me up at 2 or 3 in the morning, and I could serve."