Paris, France (Sports Network) - The unthinkable occurred Sunday at the French Open, as Spanish superstar Rafael Nadal finally lost on the famed red clay at Roland Garros, falling in four sets to unheralded Swede Robin Soderling in fourth-round play at the year's second Grand Slam.
Nadal, the top seed and world No. 1, had won each of his 31 matches without tasting defeat on the way to four straight French Open titles, but Soderling ended the amazing run with a 6-2, 6-7 (2-7), 6-4, 7-6 (7-2) triumph on Court Chatrier. Soderling, seeded 23rd, had never been past the third round of a Grand Slam event in 21 previous tries before this week.
"I've been around for awhile," said Soderling, "and I kept telling myself, 'this is just another match.' I don't care if it's the fourth round in the French against Nadal. This is just like any match. That helped me."
Also Sunday, Scotland's Andy Murray, Fernando Gonzalez of Chile and Russia's Nikolay Davydenko won fourth-round matches to advance to the quarterfinals.
The end for Nadal came a week earlier than many had anticipated. It was almost a foregone conclusion that the clay king would be playing next Sunday in the final. In winning the last four French crowns, Nadal had lost only seven sets, and last year he won the title without dropping a set.
"This is not a tragedy, losing here in Paris," said Nadal after the match. "It had to happen one day, and this is an excellent season for me. Of course it's a bit sad, but I have to overcome this as quickly as possible. No one remembers defeats in the long run -- people remember victories. So I have to move forward and try and prepare the best I can for Wimbledon."
Nadal, who won clay titles in Monte Carlo, Barcelona and Rome before losing to Roger Federer in Madrid, is the reigning champion at the All England Club. He also won this year's first major tournament at the Australian Open, but his opportunity to capture a calendar-year Grand Slam ended on this particular Sunday.
Soderling came out strong and captured the first set in a mere 32 minutes. He broke Nadal twice, the second time to win the set.
Nadal, who had won 32 straight sets at the French Open dating back to the 2007 final, didn't even gain a break-point chance until the third game of the second set and he capitalized with a passing shot that Soderling could not return. Soderling, though, managed to break back with Nadal serving for the set at 5-4 thanks to a perfect backhand drop shot.
The second set went to a tiebreaker that Nadal dominated. He won the first six points, with the help of a few Soderling forehand errors, and finished it when the Swede sent another forehand long.
Soderling, though, gained the upper hand in the third set with a pair of break points in the seventh game. Nadal saved one with a forehand winner, but followed with a long backhand to give Soderling the advantage. He took full advantage and held his next two service games, the last coming at love to capture the set.
Nadal quickly regrouped and opened a 2-0 lead in the fourth set, but Soderling was undeterred and broke serve in the third game at love. The set remained on serve from there and went to another tiebreaker.
This time, it was Soderling who dominated in the tiebreak. He won the first two points and opened a stunning 6-1 cushion. A deep forehand led to a Nadal error to set up the first match point, which the Spaniard saved with a forehand winner.
Soderling then dictated the next point and celebrated when Nadal's drop volley landed wide, ending the 3 1/2-hour match and giving the Swede the most impressive victory of his career.
"I have to believe that I have a chance, otherwise there's no meaning going on the court," said Soderling. "I could just go home instead. I tried to keep telling myself that, you know, at least I have a small chance."
Sunday's win was even more improbable when taking into account the history between the two. Nadal had won each of the three previous matches, including a straight-set victory in the 2006 French Open and a 6-1, 6-0 rout in the third round at the Italian Masters earlier this spring.
The two also played a five-set marathon at Wimbledon in 2007, a rain-delayed affair that took five days to complete.
"He's the best clay-court player of all time, but he's just like someone else to me," added Soderling.
In addition to a booming serve that produced nine aces, Soderling also ripped 61 winners and committed 59 unforced errors. Nadal, meanwhile, had just 33 winners and 28 unforced errors.
"I didn't play my best tennis," noted Nadal. "I didn't attack, not even for one moment. I played very short, and I made it very easy [for him] to play. When one player is bad, [he] must lose. That's what happened today. I have to accept it with the same calm when I win than when I lose. I congratulate him."
Soderling does have three career ATP singles titles and has been a runner-up five times. However, he was just 11-10 this year in ATP matches entering this week and was coming off a four-set triumph against 14th-seeded Spaniard David Ferrer in the third round.
Next up for Soderling will be the 10th-seeded Davydenko, who made short work of eighth-seeded Spaniard Fernando Verdasco. The 6-2, 6-2, 6-4 triumph gave Davydenko his fourth quarterfinal appearance at Roland Garros in the past five years. He twice advanced as far as the semifinals in 2005 and 2007.
The third-seeded Murray worked through a pair of tough sets before cruising in the third to post a 7-5, 7-6 (7-4), 6-1 victory over Croatia's Marin Cilic, while the 12th-seeded Gonzalez blasted Romania's Victor Hanescu, 6-2, 6-4, 6-2.
Murray and Gonzalez will meet in the quarterfinals. For Murray, a three-time winner this year and last year's U.S. Open runner-up, it will mark his first French Open quarterfinal.
"I'm playing well," said Murray. "I mean, you don't get to the quarters of the French not playing good clay-court tennis. This clay-court season has been good. I made semis in Monte Carlo and the quarters in Madrid, and now the quarters here at least."
Gonzalez, the 2007 Australian Open finalist, previously reached the round of eight at Roland Garros in 2003 and last year.
"I'm really excited," stated Gonzalez. "I've been in the quarterfinals already a few times. Hopefully I can win the next match."
Nadal's loss on Sunday opens the door for the second-seeded Federer, who will play his fourth-round match on Monday as he continues his quest for the career Grand Slam.
Beaten by Nadal in each of the last four French Opens, semifinals in 2005 and finals each of the past three years, the Swiss superstar will take on Germany's Tommy Haas.
Also Monday, sixth-seeded American Andy Roddick will venture into the second week at Roland Garros for the first time as he squares off against 11th-seeded Frenchman Gael Monfils. Another French favorite, ninth-seeded Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, will meet fifth-seeded Argentine Juan Martin del Potro, and Spain's Tommy Robredo will tackle Germany's Philipp Kohlschreiber, who set the tone for the upset weekend by eliminating fourth-seeded Novak Djokovic in the third round on Saturday.