MONACO: Gael Monfils defeated second-ranked Roger Federer 6-4, 7-6 (5) on Thursday to reach the quarterfinals of the Monte Carlo Masters.
It was Monfils’s second consecutive win on clay over the 17-time Grand Slam champion after he beat him in straight sets during last year’s Davis Cup final.
Federer, who played his first tournament since losing in the Indian Wells final nearly four weeks ago, made too many mistakes in a match featuring some spectacular shots.
After they traded early breaks, the Frenchman took advantage of Federer’s forehand errors to break in the ninth game and served out the set on his first occasion.
Federer’s charges to the net in a tight second set were loudly cheered by the fans but the Swiss failed to build on a 5-3 lead in the tiebreaker as he lost four consecutive points.
Earlier, Grigor Dimitrov capitalized on Stan Wawrinka’s awful display to rout the defending champion 6-1, 6-2. (AP)
