Tsonga makes semis at Federer's expense

  • 16/04/2016
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga claps the crowd after beating Roger Federer (Reuters)
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga claps the crowd after beating Roger Federer (Reuters)

By Julien Pretot

Roger Federer was knocked out of the Monte Carlo Masters when he slumped to a 3-6 6-2 7-5 defeat by local favourite Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the quarterfinals.

The Swiss third seed, back in action this week after a 10-week layoff, started brightly as he breezed through the opening set but Tsonga, targeting Federer's forehand, played tighter and levelled with a strong display in the second.

The Frenchman broke in the 11th game of the decider with a passing shot winner and he closed it out on serve on his first match point to set up a meeting with either compatriot Gael Monfils or Spain's Marcel Granollers.

Reuters