Soderling Claims 300th Career Win; Argentina Reaches Final

© Getty ImagesRobin Soderling claimed his 300th match win Thursday.

KAZAKHSTAN 1, SWEDEN 1
Robin Soderling celebrated his 300th match win Thursday at the Power Horse World Team Cup as he rallied past Andrey Golubev 6-7(4), 7-6(7), 6-3 to level Sweden's tie against Kazakhstan at 1-all. Soderling won all three of his singles matches this week in Dusseldorf.

The 26-year-old Swede made a career-best start this season, losing just once in his first 20 matches. He next heads to Roland Garros, where he will look to reach the final for a third straight year.

Earlier in the day, World No. 61 Mikhail Kukushkin had defeated Christian Lindell 6-0, 6-1 in 75 minutes to give Kazakhstan a 1-0 advantage. The 23 year old also beat Sam Querrey in his team’s 2-1 defeat to the United States.

Both Kazakhstan and Sweden are playing for pride after going 0-2 in their earlier ties.

ARGENTINA 2, USA 0

Defending champion Argentina booked its place in the final of the Power Horse World Team Cup with a perfect 3-0 round robin record after beating the United States in the Red Group decider on Thursday.

World No. 38 Juan Monaco gave Argentina the lead as he overcame Top 10 opponent Mardy Fish 7-6(4), 7-5. In a match featuring seven breaks of serve, Monaco broke serve four times to prevail in two hours and 15 minutes.

“It was disappointing how I lost the tie-break in the first set,” said Fish. “I had a lot of chances during the entire match. But in general I’m quite content with my two singles and two doubles I have played here in Dusseldorf up to now. A match against Monaco on clay is always a particularly tough test – an awkward opponent you would try to avoid in Paris for instance.”

Juan Ignacio Chela then clinched the tie for Argentina as he saved five break points to defeat John Isner 6-1, 7-6(1) in one hour and 32 minutes. The South American nation is bidding to win the ATP World Tour Team Championship for a fifth time.

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SERBIA 1, SPAIN 0
World No. 16 Viktor Troicki drew first blood for Serbia against Spain in a must-win tie for both nations as he defeated Marcel Granollers 6-4, 6-4.

All four teams in the Blue Group at the ATP World Tour Team Championship currently 1-1 following the first two round robin ties, with Serbia to face Spain and Russia to meet Germany in the deciding match-ups. Only one team from the Blue and Red Groups will progress to Saturday’s final.

The 25-year-old Troicki notched his 21st tour-level win of the season as he broke serve three times from nine opportunities to dismiss Granollers in 84 minutes. The Belgrade native reached his fourth ATP World Tour final in Sydney (l. to Simon) in January and recorded his best clay-court result with a quarter-final showing in Monte-Carlo (l. to Ferrer).

GERMANY 1, RUSSIA 0
Philipp Petzschner gave four-time champion Germany a strong start as he dismissed Russia’s Igor Andreev 6-2, 6-4 in 88 minutes. The 27 year old was contesting his first singles rubber in Dusseldorf and converted three of his seven break point opportunities. The tie will be decided on Friday.

"My tactic worked well, particularly in the first set," assessed Petzschner. "In the second [set] I thought too much, but ultimately was lucky to win. This was an important step in the right direction today. The loss to Spain has been digested. The important thing is to win for your country."

OTHER NEWS
Germany’s Philipp Kohlschreiber and Sweden’s Soderling were both awarded the Fair Play Trophy in Dusseldorf on Thursday. It is the first time the award has been shared between two players. The eight team captains and international journalists selected Kohlschreiber and Soderling for their behaviour on and off the court. The Trophy was presented by Tournament Director Dietloff von Arnim and Thomas Koenigsbauer, CEO of the new title sponsor Power Horse.