The Swede Robin Soderling knew what to expect when he faced the Spaniard Rafael Nadal for the French Open title - but he just couldn't cope with the best claycourt player of his generation.
For the second year in a row, Soderling came up short in the Roland Garros showpiece and he was beaten 6-4 6-2 6-4, with Nadal replacing Roger Federer as his tormentor in a one-sided final.
Soderling never quite reproduced the fireworks that helped him beat Nadal in the fourth round last year and he was worn down by the Spaniard's brilliant defence, who won the title for the fifth time.
Soderling says Nadal always plays a similar game and has more or less just one game - but it's a pretty good one and he does it so well it's enough to not lose a match on clay for a whole year.
