2010 BNP Paribas Masters: Roger Federer versus Gael Monfils – Saturday’s semi-final Preview
The second semi-final clash of 2010 BNP Paribas Masters Men’s singles tournament pits the top seed and world number two Roger Federer versus the twelfth seed and last season’s runners up Gael Monfils on Saturday.
The Swiss tennis maestro, Roger Federer is playing his first final four round in his eighth appearance at Bercy. His previous best result here was three quarter final showings back in 2002, 03 and 08. He started off his tournament’s campaign on Wednesday
with a two setter win over Richard Gasquet. The final match score was 6-4, 6-4. He next toppled Radek Stepanek, followed by another victory over Jurgen Melzer on Friday.
The 29-year-old is playing in his twelfth semi final match of the season. He currently enjoys a twelve match winning streak on the tour and comes in with a win loss mark of 60-12 in 2010. Since his quarter final exit at the grass court Grand Slam tournament
in London, the Fed Express has won twenty nine of thirty two matches, advancing into the title battle in five of six events during that period.
The Swiss is attempting to make way into his 30th career ATP World Tour Masters 1000 final and fifth in a row on the first occasion on the tour. Last month, Federer was a finalist at the Shanghai Rolex Masters in China.
Currently ranked number two in the South African Airways ATP list, the right hander, who is coming off his fourth crown of the season at the Swiss Indoors Basel last week where he overpowered Novak Djokovic in three sets, is 22-6 in the ATP World Tour Masters
1000 in 2010. Prior to his Basel title, Federer also captured a crown in Stockholm after getting the better of Florian Mayer in the final.
The sixteen time Grand Slam champion has at least grabbed a single major trophy for eight straight years on the tour. He started off his season with an Australian Open title, beating Andy Murray in the final. The Swiss then took part in two ATP World Tour
Masters 1000 competitions in Indian Wells and Miami however couldn’t go beyond the third and fourth rounds respectively.
Monfils, on the other hand, is just one victory away from making an improbable return trip to the France title battle. The professional tennis ace from France is making his second final four appearance in a row in Bercy. He advanced into the semi final after
ousting the world number four Andy Murray in three sets on Friday. The final match score was 6-2, 2-6, 6-3.
He opened his account in Bercy with a two setter win over Benjamin Becker of Germany on Tuesday. The final match score was 7-6, (4) 6-4. He next prevented two match points to seal a 6-7, (4) 7-6(2) 7-5 victory over the sixth seed Fernando Verdasco.
The right hander, who owns a career mark of 9-4 in Bercy, made his way into his first title battle here before falling to the world number three Novak Djokovic in three sets. The second highest ranked player from France behind Tsonga is making his sixth
ATP World Tour semi-final or better this year. Monfils stands at 3-2 in the semi final rounds.
He is recently coming off his quarter final exit at the Valencia Open where the French player was thrashed out by Robin Soderling. He recorded his best result of the season by grabbing a title in Montpellier, beating Ivan Ljubicic in the final. Monfils was
also runners up in Stuttgart as well as Tokyo earlier in 2010.
World number fourteen enters with a win loss mark of 44-18 on the season and has triumphed in at least forty clashes for the second year in a row.
He is set for a semi final showdown with a man, against whom he is winless in five attempts. Roger leads the pair’s head-to-head encounters at 2-0 on hard courts. However, his two most recent victories over Monfils came at the French Open in four sets back
in 2008 and three sets last year.
So, will it be any different this time for the French man? Roger’s form though suggests otherwise.
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