It’s a Grand Slam, so it’s time for these two to meet again.
The last time they met was in France back in June, and Robin Soderling stunned the sports world and ended the streak that John McEnroe has–repeatedly–said is more impressive than Joe DiMaggio’s 56 game hitting streak: Federer’s 23 consecutive semifinal appearance at a Grand Slam.
Soderling won that match at Roland Garros in the quarters in four sets (he’d eventually lose to Rafael Nadal in the Finals).
That has been Federer’s only hiccup against Soderling, however. Federer owns a lifetime 12-1 record against the Swede, including a hard-fought win over Soderling in the quarters here last year. Considering that Federer is far more comfortable on the blue courts in Queens than he is on the clay in Paris, it would seem we can comfortably call him a favorite for tonight’s best. But the best copy editor in the world and tennis fan extraordinaire, the Observer‘s Chris Cronis, emailed me last night to say he definitely thinks Soderling is going to win.
Watch out for this one. Upset potential, and it sure would make a bunch of sports writers unhappy.
