2008 FRENCH OPEN  

SF

          ROGER FEDERER   v   GAEL MONFILS               

 6-2, 5-7, 6-3, 7-5

Federer looked poised for an easy win when he raced through the first set against unseeded Frenchman Monfils, playing in his first Grand Slam semi-final.
But Monfils fed off the energy of the crowd to get back into the match and make Federer work hard to earn his 3rd straight chance to play Nadal in the finals.
Monfils hunted down Federer's spinning forehands and backhands but he also played offense when necessary,

slamming 10 aces with his big serve and keeping Federer off balance with his own, flatter forehand.
Federer had mixed success at the net as he missed a number of backhand volleys,

but employed his much improved drop shot at key moments that had Monfils diving all over the court.
Monfils saved several match points to the delight of the partisan Parisian crowd, but Federer eventually closed out victory.
An amazing match that gets better with each set as the crowd gets increasingly more enthusiastic in their support for Monfils.

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