The Rotterdam win was Soderling’s fifth in 12 finals on the pro tour. The 20th ranked Youhzny had a good week but was aggravated by a leg injury incurred in his match with Gael Monfils. Youzhny had to retire trailing 2-0 in the second set.

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Youzhny’s upset was particularly surprising as Djokovic was well rested after a bye to the semis and two other matches where players retired before completion. Youzhny had a difficult three set, come-from-behind win over Gael Monfils in the quarters.

This will be Youzhny’s 13th title match and would be his 6th tour title. The 20th ranked tour player had also defeated Djokovic in the 2007 tournament. After winning the first set 7-6 (5), the Russian had two match points at 5-3 in the second before Djokovic managed a key break. In the tiebreaker, the top seed jumped ahead 5-2, but could not close out the match, losing 7-6 (6).

Soderling played better as the tournament went on. The tour’s 8th ranked player has started the year slowly with first round losses in the Aircel Chennai Open and at Melbourne. The Swiss star answered his critics with a 7-6 (3), 6-3 triumph over the tour’s hottest player, who has 20 tour championships. This is Soderling’s 12th finals.

Soderling never lost service and now posses at 7-4 lifetime record against Davydenko, the second seed. Soderling won 87% of his first serve points. This is Soderling’s second finals in Rotterdam.

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The 36th ranked Baghdatis put away American James Blake 6-4. 6-2 and moves on to face Davydenko in round two. The second seed has a lifetime 0-7 record against Blake.

The tour’s hottest player will still have his hands full as Baghdatis holds a 2-1 lifetime edge over the Russian.

Top seeded Novak Djokovic moved onto round two with a straight set win over Sergiy Stakhovsky who retired in set two. The Serb will next face Swiss up and comer Marco Chiudinelli.

Gael Monfils and former champion Mikkhail Youzhny moved on with three set wins. Monfils lost the first set 4-6, before rallying to sweep Olivier Rochos 6-1, 6-2.

Youzhny had an even tougher time with Kazmania’s Andrey Golubev. After being manhandled in the first set, 1-6, Youzhnay came back to win the second set tiebreaker 7-6 and then a third set tiebreaker 7-6(5).

Monfils will play Netherlands wild card star Thiemo De Bakker, who thrilled the locals with a 7-6(5), 6-3 triumph over Czechoslavakia’s Jan Halek. Youzhny will be challenged by Turkey’s Marsel Ilhan.

Third seeded Robin Soderling escaped his first round match against unheralded Frenchman Fiorent Serra 4-6, 6-4, 6-1 and then swept past another local favorite Igor Susling 7-6 (6), 6-2 to move to the third round.

Soderling awaits the winner of a match featuring two Frenchmen, Michael Berrer or Julien Benneteau.

Soderling is seeking some redemption here in Rotterdam. After enjoying a stellar 2009, the Swedish star is off to a slow start in 2010 when he climbed to number 8 in the world. After a stumble in Australia, Soderling needs some success to hold his rank.

In a second round upset, Germany’s Fioran Mayer upset favored Spaniard Tommy Robredo 7-6(4) 6-4. Robredo was an early round knockout in Melbourne as well. Mayer will most likely play Djokovic in round three.

Attendance has been strong for the championship, which concludes on Sunday. A Soderling-Davydenko pairing in the semifinals would boost attendance even further.

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Last year’s finalists, Andy Murray and Rafa Nadal, are still licking the Melbourne wounds that dropped Nadal to number four and raised Murray to number three in the world rankings. Nikolay Davydenko is the tournament’s second seed. The battling Ukranian is off to his best start with a 9-1 record this season. His lone loss was to Champion Roger Federer in Australia in a match he had an early lead before mysteriously collapsing.

In Djokovic’s bracket, he appears headed to a quarterfinal pairing with 5th seeded Spaniard Tommy Robredo before a semifinal against either 4th seeded Gael Monfils or 2007 Rotterdam Champion Mikhail Youzhny.

Djokovic has a 5-1 record against Robredo, a 4-0 record against Monfils but just a 3-2 record against Youzhny. The tournament favorite appears healthy after battling stomach cramps while being upset by Joe Wilfried Tsonga in Melbourne.

If form holds, Davydenko would play American James Blake in round two, Viktor Troicki in the quarters and either 3rd seeded Robin Soderling or impressive Russian Ivan Ljubicic in the semis. Based on head-to-head matchups, there are plenty of stumbling blocks for Davydenko.

Blake has never lost to the 2nd seed. He holds an impressive 7-0 lifetime record against Davydenko. Soderling also has an edge with a 6-4 lifetime record.

Davydenko has a 2-0 edge over Troicki and a 4-4 record against Ljubicic. The lower bracket will be a stiff challenge on the hardcourt.

Djokovic holds a 3-2 advantage against Davydenko. These balanced statistics have tournament organizers and fans raring to go as the tour heads into week six.

The first ABN AMRO Tournametn was won by Dutchmen Tom Okker. Former winners include some of the game’s greatest legends, including Arthur Ashe, Jimmy Connors, Bjorn Borg, Boris Becker and Stefan Edberg. It was in Rotterdam that Nadal injured his knee last year as Murray captured the crown.

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