Robin Soderling makes his season debut on clay Tuesday evening, scheduled to face Juan Ignacio Chela. The players are set to battle for a round of 16 berth at the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell.
French Open finalist Robin Soderling took over as the highest seed in the Barcelona draw on Monday, replacing five-time defending champion Rafael Nadal. The 25-year-old Swede will contest his first clay-court contest of the season, ready to take on 2010 US Men’s Clay Court Championship title-winner Juan Ignacio Chela.
Soderling holds a 4-1 edge over Chela, having won their last meeting on the clay at the 2007 World Team Championship, 6-1, 6-4. The World No. 8 carries a 2-1 series advantage on the dirt, which includes a 2004 quarterfinal-round victory in Bastad. The veteran Argentine claimed his lone win at the 2005 Masters Series Hamburg, where he defeated the Swede in straight sets, 6-1, 6-4.
Soderling enters into his third Barcelona tournament with a 16-5 record. The 25-year-old is bidding for his second ATP World Tour title of the year, adding to a run to the championship in Rotterdam (def. Youzhny). Tuesday’s appearance signals the first action for Soderling since his semifinal finish in Miami. The Monte-Carlo resident looks to pass the Barcelona round of 32, having failed to do so in two previous attempts.
The 53rd-ranked Chela kicks off his eighth Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell with a 10-9 mark in 2010. The 30-year-old has enjoyed a return to form on clay, as he captured ATP World Tour crown No. 5 over American Sam Querrey in Houston. Chela, a Barcelona quarter-finalist in 2008, lost a second-round match to Nicolas Almagro last year.
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