Murray Sets Berdych Clash; Soderling On Course

© Getty ImagesJo-Wilfried Tsonga overcame a tough test in Thiemo de Bakker.

ATP World Tour No. 4 Andy Murray survived a third-set blip to defeat Cypriot Marcos Baghdatis 6-2, 6-3, 0-6, 6-2 Friday and reach the fourth round at Roland Garros.

After Murray had gone two-sets-to-love up, there was a sharp shift in momentum as former Australian Open finalist Baghdatis raised his level to win seven straight games, securing a bagel third set and earning him a break of serve in the fourth set. However, Murray recovered his composure to break back immediately and went on to win five of the next six games to defeat Baghdatis for the first time in three meetings after two hours and 33 minutes.

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Explaining the third set, Murray said: "I didn't play a very good set. That was it. That's all that happened. I didn't play well. Made mistakes. He hit the ball well, and that was it. I'll try and focus on the rest of the match, which I thought was very good.

"The start of the match actually wasn't particularly great. Both of us had a lot of mistakes, we both were a little bit subdued, maybe. But once I got the break in the first set I started playing some really good tennis for a couple of sets, and finished really well at the end."

The 23-year-old Scot, whose reached the Madrid quarter-finals two weeks ago, is looking to at least equal the career-best quarter-final showing he posted last year (l. to Gonzalez) at Roland Garros. To do so, he will need to defeat Czech No. 15 seed Tomas Berdych, who brought down towering American John Isner 6-2, 6-2, 6-1 in just 93 minutes. Berdych took advantage of 32 unforced errors from Isner as he broke serve seven times from 12 opportunities.

"I'm very pleased with my game today," declared Berdych. "Everything worked today, I would say, almost for 100 per cent. There was not even one thing that maybe I did wrong. Still, if you win the match like that, still you can do something a little bit better. That's what I want to keep and bring for the next matches."

French No. 8 seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga was tested by Dutchman Thiemo de Bakker but prevailed in four sets, 6-7(8), 7-6(4), 6-3, 6-4. World No. 10 Tsonga is the lone Frenchman remaining in the draw and has equalled his best result in Paris by reaching the fourth round.

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Tsonga next will face either Russian No. 11 seed Mikhail Youzhny or Serbian Viktor Troicki.

Last year’s runner-up Robin Soderling lost the third set to Estoril Open champion Albert Montanes, but recovered to seal a 6-4, 7-5, 2-6, 6-3 victory in two hours and 29 minutes. The Swede handed Rafael Nadal his first-ever victory at Roland Garros last year en route to reaching his first major final, which he lost to Roger Federer.

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Soderling endured mixed results in the build up to Roland Garros, reaching the final in Barcelona (l. to Verdasco) but only winning one match in his following three tournaments in Rome, Madrid and Nice. However, he has found his form at just the right time, advancing through his first three matches for the loss of just one set.

The fifth seed next will meet 10th-seeded Croatian Marin Cilic, who battled past last week’s Nice semi-finalist, Leonardo Mayer of Argentina, 6-4, 3-6, 7-5, 6-7(5), 6-4. Cilic saved five break points in the final game before sealing victory on his third match point after four hours and 13 minutes.

Croatian Ivan Ljubicic and Brazilian Thomaz Bellucci will face off in the third round after both coming through five set matches. No. 14 seed Ljubicic battled past American Mardy Fish 6-2, 6-7(8), 4-6, 6-2, 10-8, while No. 24 Bellucci overcame Spaniard Pablo Andujar 1-6, 6-3, 2-6, 6-4, 6-2. 

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