Soderling gives Monfils deja vu in Paris Masters

Sweden’s Robin Soderling secured his first ever Masters title with a 6-1, 7-6 (7/1) defeat of home favourite Gael Monfils in the ATP Paris Masters final yesterday.

Soderling, a two-time French Open finalist, claimed his sixth career title to inflict a second consecutive Bercy final defeat upon 12th seed Monfils, who was beaten by Novak Djokovic in straight sets in last year’s decider.

Victory also made Soderling the first man from his country to win a Masters tournament since Thomas Enqvist’s success in Cincinnati in 2000.

Soderling, 26, had enjoyed an incredible week in Paris, notably saving three match points in an epic sem-final against unseeded Frenchman Michael Llodra on Saturday.

Gilles Simon, Stanislas Wawrinka and Andy Roddick were Soderling’s other victims and he will on Monday replace Andy Murray as the world number four – his highest ever ranking.

Monfils had also experienced an unforgettable week in eastern Paris, having saved two match points in the third round against Fernando Verdasco and five against top seed Roger Federer in a roller-coaster semi-final on Saturday.

The Frenchman appeared fatigued by his efforts to overcome Federer, however, and was badly off the pace in a one-sided first set, with Soderling’s powerful serve causing him particular problems.

Soderling won 6-3, 6-2 when the pair met in Valencia last week and although his service was less reliable in the second set, the Swede continued to pepper his opponent with precise groundstrokes from the back of the court.

Monfils never managed to shake Soderling out of his rhythm and went down meekly in the tie-break, as the Swede clinched a straightforward victory with a passing volley at the net before dropping to the ground in ecstasy.