Showdown nears for Federer, Soderling

French Open runner-up Soderling broke 16-time Grand Slam champion Federer's streak of 23 Grand Slam semi-finals in a row with a quarterfinal triumph on the Paris red clay over the Swiss superstar who had won their 12 prior matches.

Swedish fifth seed Soderling, who lost the Roland Garros final to top-ranked Rafael Nadal, and world number two Federer each need one more victory to book a rematch on the Flushing Meadows hardcourts after third-round triumphs.

“Everybody has been telling me since the draw came out I'm playing Roger in the quarters. It's still far ahead,” Soderling said.

“It's always difficult to play against Roger and I have played him a lot of times. In any tournament they play, Roger and Rafa will be the favorites, but there are a lot of players who can beat them.”

Five-time U.S. Open winner Federer hit 13 aces and 31 winners in brisk winds that tested even his formidable skill to down 109th-ranked Frenchman Paul-Henri Mathieu 6-4, 6-3, 6-3, and reach the last 16.

“The wind was very strong. Tough conditions to play in, especially if you're down in the score,” Federer said. “You could tell Mathieu was really struggling after being down. His serve, his returns, everything kind of falls into pieces.

“It's really hard to stay positive when you're down and the wind is the way it is. You have to be careful, maybe not aim at the lines as much. After four games or so, I knew what I could do and what I couldn't.”

Soderling beat 48th-ranked Dutchman Thiemo de Bakker 6-2, 6-3, 6-3 in gusty conditions that were remnants from Hurricane Earl's nearby brush a day earlier.

“It was very tough. I was fighting the wind the whole time. During these conditions I played a pretty good match,” Soderling said. “It's great to make it to the second week at the U.S. Open. It will be very big next week.”

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