Soderling Pulls Out With Elbow Injury, Gonzalez Beats Haas

WASHINGTON--I was all set to write up the most thorough, blow-by-blow recap of the del Potro-Soderling quarterfinal throwdown possible.

So here I go:

It didn't happen.  The end.

Robin Soderling pulled out before the start of the match with a right elbow injury.  He is not sure if he will play Montreal, and is undergoing an MRI later today to find out just how bad the damage is.

Bad news for Soderling is good news for #2 seed and defending champion Juan Martin del Potro, who instead of facing a player who is 20-1 against everybody not named Federer since Madrid, gets a day off before his semifinal.  In that semifinal he will play #4 seed Fernando Gonzalez, who took care of #10 Tommy Haas 7-5, 6-4.  Though both sets were long it was a quick match, with only two games even going to deuce.

Should be a good semifinal between the two highest ranked players in not only South America, but in the Southern Hemisphere.

The four quarterfinalists yet to play today are all from the upper half of the planet, and occupy upper parts of the atmosphere as well.  6'2'' Andy Roddick is the munchkin of the group, with Tomas Berdych (6'5''), John Isner (6'9'') and Ivo Karlovic (6'10'') all towering over the Texan.  Not everything is bigger there.