Federer crashes out in Paris

 

Originally published on: 26/02/10 12:55

The local man started slowly as Federer looked to wrap up a quick win. Benneteau had three set points in the second set tiebreak, converting at the second attempt as the match began to turn in his favour.

And the world number 49 held his nerve to maintain his momentum in the third set and close out the match, breaking down with joy as he ousted the legendary Swiss.

Earlier, Marat Safin bode farewell to professional tennis with a 6-4 5-7 6-4 defeat by US Open champion Juan Martin Del Potro.

In other matches, Rafael Nadal was forced to dig deep into his renowned powers of resilience to overcome Spanish compatriot Nicolas Almagro 3-6 7-6 (7/2) 7-5.

The world number two, who had won all four of his previous encounters with Almagro without dropping a set, has endured a torrid time with injuries in the last few months and was troubled by blisters to his feet in the duel, which lasted three hours 14 minutes.

Second seed Nadal saved four match points and was a break down in the third set, but overcame Almagro, who himself required treatment in the closing stages, to progress.

Elsewhere, home favourite Gael Monfils eased into the third round with a 6-4 7-5 win over qualifier David Guez.

Arnaud Clement saved one match point in his 5-7 6-3 7-6 (10/8) victory over Tommy Haas, Fernando Gonzalez beat John Isner 7-5 7-6 (7/3) and Tommy Robredo defeated Tomas Berdych 6-4 6-4. Twelfth seed Marin Cilic beat Polish qualifier Lukasz Kubot 6-7 (3/7) 6-4 6-2.

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