Four-time French Open champion Rafael Nadal's reign as the king of clay has come to an end with defeat to Robin Soderling.
World number one Nadal sensationally ousted by 23rd seed
Four-time French Open champion Rafael Nadal's reign as the king of clay has come to and end with a 6-2 6-7 (2-7) 6-4 7-6 (7-2) defeat to Robin Soderling.
The world number one had not lost a match at Roland Garros since his debut in the clay court Grand Slam in 2005 and had looked on course for a record fifth successive title in the tournament.
But in one of the greatest upsets in the competition's history, the Spanish star's 31-match winning run was brought to an end by the 23rd seed.
Swede Soderling will now meet Russian 10th seed Nikolay Davydenko for a place in the semi-finals and he could not be happier.
"I just couldn't believe it when I won that last point," said a tearful Soderling who has never gone this far before in a Grand Slam.
"I'm so proud of myself. This is the best win of my career against a man who is the greatest clay court player in history. But I told myself before the match that I had to believe I could win."
Battle
Nadal's first set loss was the first time he had dropped a set in the tournament since the 2007 final against Roger Federer, as the uninhibited Swede showed devastating accuracy in continually finding the lines and corners.
Despite missing his usual fluency and clearly being rattled by the unrelenting assault, Nadal broke for the first time to lead 2-1 in the second set only to surrender his advantage in the 10th game.
With most people inside Court Philippe Chatrier expecting a Nadal drive to fly past the big Swede, Soderling executed a fine backhand volley to go to 5-5.
Nadal ran away with the tiebreaker, though, to level the match when, for once, Soderling's forehand missed its target and flew long.
But the 24-year-old, coached by compatriot and 2000 finalist Magnus Norman, refused to yield, breaking to lead 4-3 before backing it up for a 5-3 advantage in the third set.
He took the set when Nadal netted another weary forehand off yet another deep Soderling drive and, though, Nadal broke to lead 2-0 in the fourth set Soderling again hit back.
The gallant Swede then clinched his famous win on a second match point when Nadal went wide with a pick-up in a result that will reverberate through the world of tennis.
