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Summary
Swede Robin Soderling became the first qualifier for the semi-finals at the ATP World Tour Finals when he battered world number three Novak Djokovic 7-6 6-1 for his second major shock of the tournament.Soderling, only competing in the elite year-end showpiece at London's O2 Arena after Andy Roddick's injury-enforced withdrawal, backed up his opening Group B win over Rafael Nadal with another magnificent display of power and precision.Djokovic has played almost 100 matches on Tour this year, including his three-hour victory over Nikolay Davydenko in his opening round-robin match in Group B here on Monday, and it showed as he appeared to throw in the towel in the second set.The Serb, winner of the tournament 12 months ago when it was held in Shanghai, barely had enough energy afterwards to answer questions about his defeat and he will have to pick himself up quickly for his final round-robin match against Nadal which will decide whether or not he joins Soderling in the semis.Monaco-based Soderling employs high-risk tactics but when he serves as he did on Wednesday and swings freely on his forehand it is clear to see why the 25-year-old has enjoyed the best year of career. Since his stunning victory over four-times champion Nadal at the French Open and subsequent run to his first grand slam final in which he was beaten by Roger Federer, he has proved that he belongs in the world's top 10.
