Rafeal Nadal's Shock Defeat Leaves the Door Open for Roger Federer

If the Eiffel Tower had suddenly toppled, or the Arc de Triomphe had crumbled into small pieces, the shock could hardly have been greater than the sight of Rafa Nadal, four times the French Open champion and chasing a place in history as the only man to win the title five times in succession, losing yesterday in the fourth round against Sweden's Robin Soderling, a player who previously had failed to progress beyond the last 32 of any slam in 21 attempts.

Nadal had never previously lost a match at Roland Garros. He had never lost any match over five sets on clay. He was the nearest player the world has ever seen to being unbeatable on the surface, and to see him lose 6–2, 6–7 (2), 6–4, 7–6 (2) on the Philippe Chatrier main court, a rectangle of clay that had seemed to be his of right, was something more than simply shocking.

Once the disbelief had worn off, the search began to put this defeat into context. Pete Sampras, in his grasscourt pomp, was beaten in the fourth round at Wimbledon by Holland's Richard Krajicek in 1996, breaking a sequence of three titles at the All England Club that he later extended to seven. Yet by anybody's recollection this was the mother of all shocks. It had been inconceivable, and if it had crossed anybody's mind or been spoken of it would have been dismissed as ramblings of the deranged.

With Nadal gone, and the 24-year-old Soderling simply blasted the Spaniard off the court, hitting with such resolute depth, power and control that the champion could not cope, thoughts immediately jumped ahead seven days to the final. Just over two weeks ago Nadal was beaten for the first time on clay this year, having won the Monte Carlo and Rome Masters, by Roger Federer, who had lost the last three finals here against Nadal. At the time this Madrid defeat had seemed no more than an inconsequential blip.

Now all has changed, and suddenly the chances of Federer winning the title for the first time have increased one-hundredfold. Nadal has been Federer's nemesis, not only here but more recently at Wimbledon and the Australian Open. Could it be that Soderling, this unheralded Swede, has presented Federer with the chance to equal Sampras's record of 14 grand slam titles, and also to join Andre Agassi, Rod Laver, Roy Emerson, Fred Perry and Donald Budge as the only players in tennis history to win all the four slams.

Nadal's defeat could see Federer, if he wins the title, acknowledged as the greatest player of the modern era, or at the least placed shoulder to shoulder with his all-time hero, Laver. It will be barely possible to watch his next three matches before Sunday's final, and the first is today against German's Tommy Haas, in case he loses. Such an opening may never come his way again here, although everybody left in the draw, including Britain's Andy Murray, will feel as if a curtain has been lifted.

Nadal and Soderling had some history. Two years ago at Wimbledon, when the Spaniard won a rain-affected third round match against the Swede in five sets, he was annoyed by Soderling imitating some of his many tics, picking his shorts being the obvious one, during that match. Even as a junior he had attitude, and it was this me-against-the-world ethos that he took into this match. "He's the best clay-court player of all time, but he's just another player on the Tour. He's like anyone else to me, and I kept telling myself that this was just another match." Some match.

Soderling, who has had to put up with invidious comparisons with the multi grand slam champions Bjorn Borg, Mats Wilander and Stefan Edberg, finally has his moment in the limelight, though he scurried off court while Nadal, his yellow headband yanked off, was slowly packing up his belongings. "I had to take a few minutes just for myself," said Soderling, who will now play Nikolay Davydenko of Russia in the quarter-finals.

By the time the Nadal-Soderling match reached its climax the Philippe Chatrier court was a maelstrom of emotion. Even with Nadal 6–1 down in the fourth-set tie-break there were those who clung to the belief that the world No1 would still turn the match around. When he had levelled at one set all the face of his coach and uncle, Toni Nadal, had been wreathed in smiles. Now the wreaths were of a different hue. Nadal had arrived at Roland Garros in pink with yellow trimmings; yesterday his world was painted black.