Roger Federer Crashes Out Of Paris Masters
12 November 2009
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Roger Federer’s poor record at the Paris Masters continued after he crashed out of the 2009 tournament in the second round.
The world number was playing for just the second time since losing the U.S. Open final to Juan Martin Del Potro back in September.
Facing Frenchman Julien Benneteau the Swiss player was the heavy favourite going into the match having had a great season.
And the match started the way that many would have expected with Federer dominating on serve and he quickly wrapped up the first set 6-3 barely breaking a sweat.
But then Frenchman refused to let his head drop as he used the home crowd to his advantage and he began to grow in confidence.
While errors began creeping into the Federer’s game, including the breakdown of his forehand which was a problem in the Basel final at the weekend against Novak Djokovic, Benneteau played some of the best tennis of his season.
Capitalising on the mistakes from the world number one Benneteau played some shots that suggest that he belongs much higher up the rankings.
He took the second set to a tie-break which he won 7-4 which resulted in a final set shoot out between the pair.
Surprisingly it was the Frenchman that struck first breaking Federer early in the third set to take the advantage.
Despite the enormity of the occasion and with the French crowd roaring him on Benneteau held his nerve to serve out the set and seal a famous victory.
Speaking after the match the Frenchman said: “It's magic. It's fabulous. Everything you can imagine. The memories will stay with me forever.”
The Frenchman progressed into the third round where he will face compatriot Gael Monfils. Federer has one more tournament to play in before the end of the season as the ATP World Tour Finals begin in London in ten days time.
Yesterday was a day of drama n Paris as Marat Safin retired from the sport after losing to Juan Martin Del Potro.
However it wasn’t a straight forward victory for the new U.S. Open champion as he was pushed by the former world number one to three sets eventually losing 6-4 5-7 6-4.
The Russian and crowd favourite was presented with a special trophy after his match and he told the Paris crowd: Today I will put all my memories, all my wins and losses in a small box."
"Today a door is closed, hopefully another one will open."
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