Centre Court ticket holders for the night session at the Western and Southern Open were looking forward to the headlining match: Roger Federer taking on Gael Monfils - the champion against the excitement machine. Federer got through a tricky first match against Vasek Pospisil, defeating the Canadian 7-6(4) 5-7 6-2, while Monfils defeated Federico Delbonis 6-3 3-6 6-3 and Roberto Bautista-Agut 6-4 6-1 to reach this third round match. Federer was leading the H2H 6-2, but had lost to the Frenchman in their most recent meeting on the hard courts of Shanghai last year. Monfils was in good form coming in, and would provide a stern challenge.
The coin toss brought some amusement to those privy to the conversation between the individual chosen to toss the coin and Federer.
Federer will certainly not be happy with how the match started, as an abysmal service game saw him down a break immediately. Monfils managed to hold a tricky game, displaying his brilliance with a wonderful passing shot. Federer got himself on the board with a hold, to trail 2-1, and then turned up the heat on the Frenchman. At break point, the pair went back and forth from Monfils’ forehand to Federer’s backhand, the Frenchman keeping it away from his opponent’s forehand, Federer trying to get it to Monfils’ backhand.
Eventually Federer took control, and hit a beautiful off-forehand to secure the break and even things up at 2-2. He followed with an easy hold and then was gifted another break by the Frenchman, with a double fault bringing up a 4-2 lead for the Swiss man. It was a dangerous swing for Monfils, having lost four straight games, but Federer didn’t put his foot on the throat, committing several errors, including a double fault on break point, to put the match back on serve, giving the Frenchman a reprieve. After seeing four breaks of serve in the opening seven games, things went a bit more to script. Monfils held with the aid of an ace at 30-30, and then a straightforward game on Federer’s serve saw the Frenchman serving to stay in the set. A fantastic return winner saw the world no. 3 go up *0-15, and Monfils, feeling the pressure, pulled the trigger on a drop shot at the wrong time, netting it to go down *0-30, before a poor forehand dumped into the net brought up three set points, with Federer needing only one, claiming the opening set 6-4.
Despite a brilliantly angled passing shot from Monfils, Federer held his opening service game, and it was now a question of whether the Frenchman could stay in the match mentally after such a poor previous game. He was up to the task, holding to 30 and getting on the board. There was more brilliance from Monfils on Federer’s serve, pumping his gazelle-like legs to retrieve a fine drop shot and win the point, but he was unable to make any further inroads as Federer’s momentum continued.
The world no. 23 looked to have found his rhythm on serve, getting to 40-15, but a Federer winner, followed by a missed smash and a double fault from Monfils, saw the 2nd seed up a break point. The Frenchman gave nothing away, holding serve and getting a 15-30 opportunity during his opponent’s next service game. The class of Federer won out though, as he manoeuvred his way to a 3-2 lead. The sixth game saw a couple of welcome forehand winners for Monfils, but for the second straight game he was staring down the barrel of a break point. Once again he responded, launching a second serve bomb and getting the hold. Federer faltered, going down 0-30, perhaps frustrated at not having broken his opponent yet.
Then came what could have turned out to be the most influential point of the set. Federer charged to the net, eager to get a quick point, but a brilliant lob from Monfils appeared to drop in – or so at least the Frenchman thought. The linesman called it long, but Monfils didn’t hear, and was bemused to hear the score announced by the chair as *15-30. Carlos Bernandes, who was officiating, advised Monfils that the ball was long and as a result, the Frenchman didn’t challenge. However the TV broadcast showed viewers the Hawkeye footage, which indicated the ball had caught the back of the line. What could have been three break points turned into a Federer hold and a 4-3* advantage. Monfils didn’t let it eat at him, holding serve in the eighth game, a game that featured two stunning backhand volleys – one from each combatant – which sent the Cincinnati crowd into a frenzy.
For a third consecutive game, Monfils was able to get to 30 on Federer’s serve first, however unlike the previous two games, the Frenchman was able to get to 40 first also, and a Federer unforced error saw Monfils in a position to serve for the set. A couple of loose errors saw an opening for the Swiss man at *15-30, but Monfils wasn’t letting this great opportunity slip. He blasted a backhand pass down the line to manufacture set point, and then hit an equally scorching backhand, also down the line, to send the match into a decider – exactly what the crowd wanted.
Some superb scrambling in the opening game of the third set saw Monfils with a break point, but Federer wasn’t giving his opponent control of the match that easily, getting to the net, finishing and then holding serve with an emphatic smash. Monfils got a hold of his own, and the score read 1-1. The excitement built in the next game, with yet another unbelievable down the line backhand from Monfils getting him to *15-30, and then a stunning pickup off a Federer drop shot brought up two break points. Federer summoned up his courage and stayed aggressive, reeling off four consecutive points to deny his opponent and sneak ahead 2-1.
Monfils didn’t give his opponent time to relax, holding his own serve quickly and putting pressure straight back on the Swiss man with a fine return for *0-15. Federer survived, with a fine reflex volley and then a forehand winner giving him the hold. Once more Monfils got his service game out of the way quickly, ticking the scoreboard over to 3-3. Federer hit a forehand which was called long, and got frustrated when Carlos Bernandes didn’t hear his challenge. Bernandes allowed the challenge, with Hawkeye showing that the ball caught the line, and Federer was handed the point due to Monfils not making a play on the ball despite being right there when it happened, which of course frustrated the Frenchman. Nonetheless play went on, and Federer was able to hold serve again.
A favourable let-cord for Federer gave him an opening at *15-30, and a delightful net exchange saw two break points, which, if converted, would have Federer serving for the match. It was a cagey rally from both players, with a loose slice backhand from Federer giving a let-off to Monfils. The Frenchman was nervous again the next rally, and Federer decided to go on the offensive, putting a forehand away to go up 5-3. Monfils wasn’t going to let the match finish quickly, hitting a fine forehand pass down the line, landing it right in the middle of the paint. Federer serve-volleyed to perfection, coming in on his second ball and going up *30-15; two points away. The response from Monfils was strong, hitting a return winner down the line, but another Federer foray to the net, his 44th, brought up match point. A big first serve out wide was too much for the Frenchman, unreturnable in fact, and Roger Federer was through, 6-4 4-6 6-3, in 1 hour and 48 minutes. Federer was stronger in the longer rallies, winning 45 compared to Monfils’ 31 when the rally went at least 5 shots, and that was the difference in the end.
An entertaining match on Centre Court between two extremely talented individuals, which certainly lived up to the billing. Consecutive tough three-setters for Federer, who is now set for a quarter-final encounter with Andy Murray, who defeated John Isner in three sets earlier in the day.
In the other night match on the men’s side of the draw, David Ferrer defeated Mikhail Youzhny 7-5 6-0, despite trailing 5-2 in the first set, reeling off 11 consecutive games to reach the quarter-finals.