Skip navigation
Listen now:
NBC Sports: Schwartzman Saturdays

Tennis

ATP scores | WTA scores |  Video |  ATP schedule  |  WTA schedule   | ATP rankings  |  WTA rankings  |  Tickets

Roger and out! Federer sent packing by Benneteau

/
By Theo Ruizenaar
updated 3:52 p.m. ET Feb. 15, 2013

ROTTERDAM (Reuters) - Defending champion Roger Federer suffered a shock 6-3 7-5 defeat by Frenchman Julien Benneteau, who has yet to lift a tour title during his 13-year career, in the World Indoor Tournament quarter-finals on Friday.

The top seed struggled throughout with his first serve and was broken three times in the opening set.

Benneteau, 31, broke again early in the second set before the world number two, backed by a capacity crowd of 10,500, broke back.

Federer had chances to break again in the 11th game but world number 39 Benneteau managed to hold him off before clinching victory on his first match point as a backhand pass from the Swiss went out.

Benneteau next meets fellow countryman Gilles Simon or Martin Klizan of Slovakia.

World number seven Juan Martin Del Potro stayed on course for his second successive appearance in the final by sweeping aside Finn Jarkko Nieminen 6-3 6-4.

The Argentine, beaten in last year's final by Federer, will play Grigor Dimitrov in the last four after the Bulgarian came from behind to defeat Cypriot Marcos Baghdatis 6-7 7-6 6-3 in a thriller.

"There are no easy matches here," Del Potro told reporters. "Nieminen played some excellent forehands on important points and I had to stick to my game plan and be patient."

The 21-year-old Dimitrov looked down and out when he trailed 6-5 in the second set but he then reeled off 18 consecutive points to level the match, including taking the tiebreak 7-0, before going on to reach his final indoor semi-final.

"I can't remember ever scoring 18 straight points before and I didn't even notice it during the match," said the Bulgarian.

(Editing by Tony Jimenez)

(c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2013. Check for restrictions at: http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp

advertisement
More news
Image: TENNIS-ITA-ATP-WTA
Afp / AFP - Getty Images
Top-ranked Djokovic bounced in Rome

Top-ranked Novak Djokovic wasted a chance to serve out the match and was beaten 2-6, 7-5, 6-4 by sixth-seeded Tomas Berdych in the Italian Open quarterfinals Friday.

Slideshow
Image: TENNIS-AUS-OPEN
  Scenes from Down Under
Check out the best images from the 2013 Australian Open.

NBCSports.com

Slideshow
Image: The Championships - Wimbledon 2012: Day Thirteen
  The best of Wimbledon
The best images from the Grand Slam tournament at the All-England Club.

NBC Sports

Video
  French Open 2012: Top 10 Shots
June 10, 2012: John McEnroe, Ted Robinson, and Mary Carillo look back at the Top Ten best moments from the 2012 French Open.
‘