Not much separated Robin Soderling and Lleyton Hewitt today, but there was one thing that unequivocally went the Swede's way: He got to serve first in the fifth set. The fifth seed benefited from this in two ways: First, after he was broken early in the decider, Soderling still had a game to make amends, to prevent Hewitt from consolidating his break and possibly seizing the match. When Soderling did that with a calculated, aggressive game plan, all the pressure shifted back to Hewitt. As he was for most of the match, Soderling remained strong on serve, and Hewitt eventually cracked down 4-5, hitting four errors in his poorest service game of the day. It cemented the comeback at 6-7 (5), 3-6, 7-5, 6-4, 6-4.
Hewitt, the 2002 Wimbledon champion, also served well today, among other things. His defense isn't the impregnable shield of nine years ago, but it negated plenty of Soderling strikes, giving the more erratic player another chance to hit himself out of a point. That happened a few times in the first two sets, both of which Hewitt won, but the Aussie's offense was also striking—sometimes breathtakingly so. Hewitt played the point of the tournament in the second set, diving well outside the white lines to send a seeming Soderling winner into the open court and break serve. In the fourth set, Hewitt offered an encore, denying a well-struck forehand pass with a leap to his left.
For all of Hewitt's ailments—five surgeries were mentioned in the broadcast: both sides of the hip, both big toes and one foot; the other must be next—he never submitted to the physical demands of this nearly four-hour contest. Rather, Soderling took it by committing to the bruising style of play that's ascended him up the rankings. Most impressive were his down-the-line backhands, both penetrating and well-placed. Once a threat only indoors, Soderling has shown he can compete on all surfaces, including grass—but I'll guess he didn't mind the roof above his head today.
—Ed McGrogan