 Photographer: Sergio Llamera
Date: 11 Apr 2008 |  Photographer: Sergio Llamera
Date: 11 Apr 2008 |  Photographer: Sergio Llamera
Date: 11 Apr 2008 |  Photographer: Sergio Llamera
Date: 11 Apr 2008 |  Photographer: Sergio Llamera
Date: 11 Apr 2008 |  Photographer: Sergio Llamera
Date: 11 Apr 2008 |  Photographer: Sergio Llamera
Date: 11 Apr 2008 |  Photographer: Sergio Llamera
Date: 11 Apr 2008 |
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| 11 Apr 2008 - Estadio Parque Roca, Buenos Aires - Rodrigo Valdebenito - ARG v SWE | |
| Soderling stuns Acasuso |
Robin Soderling outplayed Jose Acasuso to give Sweden a vital point, defeating the Argentine 60 64 61, and squaring the Davis Cup by BNP Paribas World Group Quarterfinal tie in Buenos Aires at one rubber apiece.
After David Nalbandian had overcome some stubborn resistance from Thomas Johansson in the first rubber, Soderling got off to a great start taking the first set 60, repeating this feat in the third set to wrap up a comfortable victory in less than two hours.
Saturday's crucial doubles rubber sees Nalbandian and Guillermo Canas due to face Jonas Bjorkman and Robert Lindstedt though these nominations can be changed up to an hour before the scheduled start of play.
A happy game, a sad game
Both Soderling and Acasuso will have something to remember about this game. Soderling played what his captain Mats Wilander called “a superb game”, and was praised by his opponents for playing too well. Acasuso, on the other hand, played his worst Davis Cup match up to this point.
Soderling worked his path to victory on short paced games, relying on his forehand and a lot of consistency while receiving. Acasuso’s serve, on the other hand, never worked and he managed to keep only three of his 11 serving games, and he won less than half of his serving points. Dismal numbers that reflect the poor performance from the Argentine in front of his home crowd, who nevertheless cheered him until the last ball, and chanted his nickname ‘Chucho, Chucho’ until the match ended and the local hero left the court in defeat .
The Swede, on the other hand, was consistent and although he did not serve too well, it was more than enough to win an easy victory. And although a tiny ray of light appeared at the middle of the second set, with Acasuso breaking twice, the strong wind played against him and lost his serve twice, losing the advantage just as quickly as he had won it.
In a lower tone
Clearly shocked, Acasuso and captain Alberto Mancini tried to explain what happened in the court, with voices in a lower tone and volume than usual, words struggling to leave their mouths.
“He played really well, and I player really bad” Acasuso said. “I feel bad about letting down the confidence the captain set on me, but I never felt comfortable in the match. Soderling started very well and then I could not get into the game.”
“If Alberto wishes to put another player to play on Sunday, I will be happy to cheer for him; we are a team and the important thing is for Argentina to win”.
Mancini confirmed he had no plans yet to change Nalbandian and Guillermo Cañas as the doubles pair, but he was explicit in remarking the word “yet”.
The Swedish team was understandably happy and upbeat.
“This was probably not my best game on clay” Soderling said. “But it was a good game anyway”.
“The court conditions [cold, with clouds and wind] worked on my favour and the slow balls allowed me to make better use of my forehand. Now the series is open and we have a chance until Sunday to win”.
Mats Wilander had a particular theory. “Once you defeat a team”, he said, “you can defeat it on any surface. We won over Argentina last year in Gothenburg, so now we have chances to win here as well, and we will do our best to do it. I’m excited to see tomorrow our strong pair of Jonas and Robert; in doubles anything can happen, and I am quite sure we can win at least one singles on Sunday”.
Related Links on other websites
> Información en español - AAT
> Information in Swedish – Tennis Sweden
Related Links on Daviscup.com
> Tie Information
> Scorecards and stats from this tie
> Nalbandian gives Argentina the lead
> Nalbandian kicks off for Argentina
Related Audio
 Interview with Robin Soderling (SWE) - day 1
Interview with Jose Acasuso (ARG) - day 1 [SPANISH]
Interview with Alberto Mancini (ARG) - day 1
 
If you cannot hear the audio, then please update your media player by following one of the links above.
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