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Julien Benneteau of France - Source: Reuters -
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World number one Roger Federer slumped to a surprise 3-6 7-6 6-4
defeat by unheralded Frenchman Julien Benneteau in the second round
of the Paris Masters on Thursday.
Top seed Federer, who had a first-round bye, made unusual unforced
errors to fall to the unseeded Benneteau, ranked 49th in the
world.
The elegant Swiss, who has never advanced past the quarter-finals
of the indoor event, started well but then struggled, losing the
second set in a tiebreak and falling a break down early in the
third set.
Cheered on by a partisan crowd, Benneteau, who has never won an ATP
singles title, took his chances and hit some amazing
winners.
He sealed victory with an ace on the first match point to set up a
third-round match against his compatriot Gael Monfils.
"I can definitely play much better but I can also play much worse,"
said Federer.
"It wasn't a bad performance. I think Julien went out and got the
victory. I definitely had chances. I missed them.
"I'm not looking for excuses," added the Swiss, who asked for a
challenge on match point, which confirmed Benneteau's serve was
in.
"It's just tough. I don't have a good record here at Bercy and that
showed maybe a little at the end. I was not feeling that
comfortable."
World number two Rafa Nadal had earlier saved five match points
before overcoming Nicolas Almagro 3-6 7-6 7-5 in a thrilling
all-Spanish second-round battle.
