Gael Monfils takes out Roger Federer in three sets on Thursday in Shanghai. Monfils is joined in the quarterfinals by Nicolas Almagro, who upset Tomas Berdych in a third-set tiebreaker.
Gael Monfils d. (5) Roger Federer 6-4, 6-7(5), 6-3
Monfils extended Federer’s recent woes with a victory in two hours and eight minutes during third-round action at the Shanghai Rolex Masters on Thursday. The Frenchman took control early by breaking serve in the opening game of the match and he saved the only break point he faced in the first set one game later. Both players had break chances right away in the second, but it was Monfils who eventually got the best of opponent’s serve at 3-3.
With his back up against the wall, Federer fought back. The fifth-seeded Swiss returned the favor immediately for 4-4 before forcing a tiebreaker and taking it seven points to five. Monfils had seized a 5-3 advantage, but Federer won the last four points of the set. In the end, a three-deuce game with Federer serving at 1-2 in the third proved to be the difference. Monfils finally broke and he fought off two break points at 4-2 before serving out the proceedings at love at 5-3. The world No. 42 will face Novak Djokovic in the quarterfinals.
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(15) Nicolas Almagro d. (4) Tomas Berdych 6-7(6), 6-3, 7-6(4)
Berdych vs. Almagro has become something of a rivalry, one that really began at the 2012 Australian Open with Berdych winning a heated, no-handshake affair in four extremely competitive sets. They have now faced each other 13 times and Almagro inched closer by prevailing for the fourth time compared to nine losses by surviving a third-set tiebreaker on Thursday in Shanghai. The Spaniard needed two hours and 35 minutes to book a quarterfinal meeting with Juan Martin Del Potro.
This one was a huge-serving showdown even though Berdych had retired from a Beijing match against Rafael Nadal last week and still felt the effects of a bad back. The sixth-ranked Czech fired 12 aces without double-faulting, while Almagro struck 18 aces against four doubles and dropped serve only once. After exchanging breaks in the final set, Almagro delivered the goods when it mattered most for a rare tiebreaker victory over Berdych. The world No. 16 led 5-4 before coaxing his opponent into two match-ending unforced errors.
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