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Monfils bests Federer in Paris semifinal
PARIS, -- Gael Monfils ousted top-seeded Roger Federer Saturday, advancing to face Robin Soderling for the BNP Paribas Masters title in Paris.
The 12th-seeded Frenchman struggled mightily to dispose of the Swiss superstar, eventually notching an exhausting 7-6 (9-7), 6-7 (1-7), 7-6 (7-4) victory -- his first in six career matches against Federer.
With the hard-fought win, Monfils made the Paris finals for the second straight year. He went down to Novak Djokovic in the title match a year ago.
Soderling, meanwhile, saved three match points to rally and defeat French favorite Michael Llodra 6-7 (0-7), 7-5, 7-6 (8-6) in the other semifinal.
Thanks to Saturday's win, the Swede gained his fifth ATP Tour final of the year. He won the Rotterdam event and finished as runner-up at Bastad, Roland Garros and Barcelona.
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PARIS, -- Gael Monfils ousted top-seeded Roger Federer Saturday, advancing to face Robin Soderling for the BNP Paribas Masters title in Paris.
The 12th-seeded Frenchman struggled mightily to dispose of the Swiss superstar, eventually notching an exhausting 7-6 (9-7), 6-7 (1-7), 7-6 (7-4) victory -- his first in six career matches against Federer.
With the hard-fought win, Monfils made the Paris finals for the second straight year. He went down to Novak Djokovic in the title match a year ago.
Soderling, meanwhile, saved three match points to rally and defeat French favorite Michael Llodra 6-7 (0-7), 7-5, 7-6 (8-6) in the other semifinal.
Thanks to Saturday's win, the Swede gained his fifth ATP Tour final of the year. He won the Rotterdam event and finished as runner-up at Bastad, Roland Garros and Barcelona.
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