MADRID — Roger Federer had to save two match points before reaching the quarterfinals of the Madrid Open with a 6-0, 4-6, 7-6 (3) win over a gritty Gael Monfils on Thursday. In only his second match on clay since 2016, Federer rallied from three games down late in the third set and then dominated the deciding tiebreaker to outlast Monfils in a match of more than two hours at the Magic Box center court. It was the 1,200th career win for Federer, allowing him to join Jimmy Connors as the only players to have reached the milestone in the Open Era. The fourth-seeded Federer had eased past Richard Gasquet in his first match in Madrid and looked set for another comfortable win after routing Monfils in less than 20 minutes in the opening set. But the Swiss lost five straight games to fall behind the 18th-ranked Frenchman who was seeking his second title of the season. Federer recovered by breaking Monfils at 2-4 in the third set, and then saved the two match points in a long game when trailing 5-6. The 20-time Grand Slam champion was back in control in the tiebreaker, winning six of the first seven points. Federer will next face fifth-seeded Dominic Thiem, who defeated Fabio Fognini 6-4, 7-5. Federer skipped the clay swing the last two years to remain fit for the rest of the season. The Madrid Open is his first clay tournament as he prepares to return to the French Open after a three-year absence. He has already won two hard-court titles this season, in Dubai and Miami, and is seeking his third Madrid trophy, and first since 2012. Earlier, top-ranked Novak Djokovic reached the final eight by beating Jeremy Chardy 6-1, 7-6 (2). It was his 13th consecutive win over Chardy, all in straight sets. Djokovic will next face Marin Cilic, who came from behind to beat Laslo Djere 4-6, 6-3, 6-2. Djokovic is seeking his second title of the season, and third in Madrid. He began the year by winning the Australian Open.<doc-sep>Roger Federer takes on Gael Monfils at Madrid Open FREE for news on the biggest players and tournaments SUBSCRIBE Invalid email Sign up forfor news on the biggest players and tournaments When you subscribe we will use the information you provide to send you these newsletters. Sometimes they'll include recommendations for other related newsletters or services we offer. Our Privacy Notice explains more about how we use your data, and your rights. You can unsubscribe at any time. Roger Federer came through his return to clay against Richard Gasquet with a comfortable 6-2 6-3 victory and now faces Monfils in the round of 16. Federer is in Novak Djokovic’s side of the draw and would face him if both reach the semi-finals in Madrid. But first the battle with Monfils is on the agenda and the Frenchman is looking forward to it. “I calmly approach the match against Roger hoping for a little less wind and better conditions,” he said. Roger Federer vs Gael Monfils LIVE updates “It's fast and he likes these conditions. He is more comfortable [and] I’ll have to have a more aggressive tactic. “There will not be millions of rallies.” Federer is looking for his 1200 ATP Tour singles match victory and speaking after the Gasquet victory said: “I'm very happy to be back on clay. “Super happy to be back here in Madrid. The crowds and the ovation I got before and after the game were great. It really makes you feel like that was the right choice to come to Madrid, so that felt good. Roger Federer vs Gael Monfils: How to watch Madrid Open tennis Roger Federer takes on Gael Monfils in the last 16 in Madrid “The first game went well. I didn't think Richard was at his best, far off. But from my side, it was a good match.” Roger Federer vs Gael Monfils live stream - how to watch Roger Federer’s match against Gael Monfils is being live streamed on Amazon Prime Video. This year, Prime Video will broadcast on-site, live studio coverage across tournaments, including at the BNP Paribas Open from Indian Wells, the Fever Tree Championships from The Queens Club, the US Open, and the Nitto ATP Finals from The O2. Madrid Open: Roger Federer celebrates defeating Gasquet Trending<doc-sep>Madrid Open: Federer scores a victory against Gael Monfils FREE for news on the biggest players and tournaments SUBSCRIBE Invalid email Sign up forfor news on the biggest players and tournaments When you subscribe we will use the information you provide to send you these newsletters. Sometimes they'll include recommendations for other related newsletters or services we offer. Our Privacy Notice explains more about how we use your data, and your rights. You can unsubscribe at any time. Federer and Monfils hadn’t played each other since 2015 but the Swiss made a fast start and broke his opponent three times to lead 5-0 after just fifteen minutes and the Swiss wrapped up the set 6-0 which led to Monfils being booed by fans at the Caja Magica. Monfils responded to those jeers to break Federer early in the second set and lead 4-1 before the 20-time Grand Slam champion broke back and levelled the set 4-4. But the Frenchman broke Federer again to win the second set 6-4 and force a third set. In the final set, Federer dropped serve again and was 4-1 down before fighting back and levelling at 4-4 and he was then forced to save two match points at 6-5 down before dominating the tiebreak to seal his place in the quarter-finals. ROGER FEDERER VS GAEL MONFILS LIVE THIRD SET Federer 6-0 4-6 7-6 Monfils TIEBREAK Monfils double fault, 1-0. Monfils return long, 2-0. Federer unreturned serve, 3-0. Federer backhand long, 3-1. Monfils backhand wide after great Federer defence, 4-1. Federer serve and volley, 5-1. Federer volley winner, 6-1. Monfils backhand winner, 6-2. Federer backhand wide, 6-3. Federer unreturned serve GAME. SET. MATCH. Brilliant tennis match. *Federer 6-0 4-6 6-6 Monfils Federer goes wide with a forehand, 0-15. But then gets it done with a forehand winner into the corner. Federer goes wide with another forehand, 15-30. Federer serve and volley, 30-30. Monfils backhand pass, match point. Federer smash winner at the net, gusty play from the Swiss, deuce. Federer nets a tame backhand, second match point. Monfils backhand long, deuce. Monfils backhand return long. But Federer responds with a forehand long, deuce. Monfils just misses with a backhand pass. Federer forehand winner. TIEBREAK! Federer 6-0 4-6 5-6 Monfils* Like a world-class surgeon, Federer slices another backhand down the line past Monfils. Beautiful. Double fault Monfils, 30-30. Break point Federer as he guesses the right way and flicks a backhand up the line. Federer return long, deuce. Big time tennis from Monfils as he wrong foots Federer with some big forehands and guarantees at least a tiebreak. *Federer 6-0 4-6 5-5 Monfils Pressure? What pressure! Federer holds to 15 in no time at all. He's in attack mode right now. Federer 6-0 4-6 4-5 Monfils* Federer smash winner, 15-15. Monfils double fault, 15-30. Monfils ace, 30-all. Another Monfils ace! Another Monfils double fault! Deuce. A fired up Monfils screams 'Allez' as he gets through to force Federer to serve to stay in the match. Roger Federer beat Gael Monfils in three sets Roger Federer hits a forehand against Gael Monfils *Federer 6-0 4-6 4-4 Monfils Federer is flowing now and he's won 12 of the last 15 points. Dramatic finish to this match coming up. Federer 6-0 4-6 3-4 Monfils* Blistering forehand winner from Federer to open the game but he then goes long with a backhand, 15-15. A lengthy exchange ends with a Federer error, 30-30. Break point Federer as Monfils nets a backhand. Lovely from Federer as he slices a return down the line as Monfils attempted to serve and volley. Big fist shake from Federer. Back on serve. *Federer 6-0 4-6 2-4 Monfils Love hold for Federer. Normal service resumes. But he needs to make move quickly. Federer 6-0 4-6 1-4 Monfils* Lovely serve and volley from Monfils, 40-15. But Federer forces Monfils to deuce with some excellent backhands. Monfils ace, great response. And another big serve extracts a return error from Federer. The match is on Monfils' racket right now. *Federer 6-0 4-6 1-3 Monfils Important hold for Federer, just to stop Monfils momentum. The Swiss is unhappy with the shade at the far end of the court. Federer 6-0 4-6 0-3 Monfils* Break back chance for Federer as Monfils goes wide with a backhand up the line. But the Swiss nets a forehand, deuce. Monfils moves into full control of the set when Federer puts a backhand return long. Gael Monfils won the second set 6-4 *Federer 6-0 4-6 0-2 Monfils A chance for Monfils as Federer goes wide with a forehand, 15-30. And another unforced error hands Monfils break point. And the Frenchman gets ahead after Federer puts a backhand long. Federer then smashes the ball out of the stadium and receives a code violation. Incredible. Federer 6-0 4-6 0-1 Monfils* Monfils opens the third set with a hold to 15. The Frenchman looks strong at the moment. SECOND SET *Federer 6-0 4-6 Monfils Danger for Federer as a forehand goes long, 15-30. And Federer then goes wide with a forehand. Two set points Monfils. Federer saves the first with a forehand winner. Federer goes long with a forehand and this match is going into a decider. Stunning turnaround. Federer 6-0 4-5 Monfils* Monfils stops a run of eight points in a row when he forces the error from Federer, 15-15. But he then goes wide with a backhand, 15-30. Break point Federer as he runs around and whips a forehand into the corner. Brave serve and volley from Monfils gets him back level. And he finally comes through after seven minutes to force Federer to serve to stay in the set. *Federer 6-0 4-4 Monfils Federer back on top as he holds to love. Monfils looking demoralised again. Roger Federer won the first set 6-0 Federer 6-0 3-4 Monfils* Monfils goes long with a backhand, deuce. And he then nets a forehand to give Federer a break point. Monfils ace, deuce. But he nets another forehand, break point Federer. But brilliant length on the forehand cancels out Federer’s hopes. Monfils double fault, third break point.<doc-sep>The Telegraph Two of the surprise packages of this clay-court season have been British – initially Dan Evans, who made a deep run in Monte Carlo, and more lately Cameron Norrie, who played his second final in three weeks on Sunday. Unfortunately, Norrie wasn’t able to land a maiden ATP title in Lyon. But then he was up against Stefanos Tsitsipas, who has been the dominant force of 2021 outside the slams, and now stands at No 1 in the table of most rankings points gained since January 1. Nevertheless, it had been a hugely creditable effort for Norrie to go this far, especially when you consider that he took out top seed Dominic Thiem on Thursday, and then trounced big-hitting Russian Karen Khachanov in Saturday’s semi-final, losing only two games in the process. Norrie has come to clay late in his career, but it feels like this is developing into his favourite surface. He has one of the heaviest left-handed forehands in the game, loaded with top-spin, and uses it like a miniature version of Rafael Nadal. The result has been a tally of 14 wins and only four losses since he began his European clay-court swing in Barcelona. So while the French Open, which starts next Sunday, has traditionally been a graveyard of British hopes, there are reasons to hope that this year’s event could deliver some more positive results. Norrie’s previous final in Estoril had been a nervewracking affair which he eventually lost on a deciding-set tie-break to the more experienced Spaniard Albert Ramos-Vinolas. Sunday was more straightforward for Tsitsipas, who needed only 69 minutes to hammer home a 6-3, 6-3 victory. It was Tsitsipas’ second title of the clay-court sequence, after he won Monte Carlo in mid-April, taking out Evans in the semi-final along the way. He has become a serious contender to upset the establishment – specifically Nadal and Novak Djokovic – at Roland Garros over the next few weeks. “I felt in good shape from the beginning of the tournament,” said Tsitsipas afterwards. “I am proud of today’s match, I knew it would be a difficult one against Cameron, who has been showing great tennis this week. He has been winning against good players and showing what the left hand can do on clay. “It was not an easy match today. I had to handle the nerves and I am proud of my performance and the way I stayed focused towards my goal.” On this year’s results, meanwhile, both Evans and Norrie stand among the world’s 20 most successful men. Evans is at No 16 and Norrie No 14. The next challenge for them both is to convert that ATP Tour form into a deep run at a major.<doc-sep>
MADRID -- Facing match point and on a second serve, Roger Federer decided it was time for a "panic move." So he went into all-out attacking mode, charging to the net to try to avoid a disappointing end to his first clay-court tournament since 2016. It worked. A lucky volley, followed by a smash winner, kept Federer in the match. An aggressive forehand two points later allowed him to save a second match point, and he went on to beat Gael Monfils 6-0, 4-6, 7-6 (3) in the third round of the Madrid Open on Thursday. "I felt my chances were bigger at the net than from the baseline, so it was a desperation, panic move," Federer said. "I was very nervous, so I just figured, `come to the net, take a chance,' and it worked out." In only his second match on clay in three years, Federer rallied from three games down late in the third set and then dominated the deciding tiebreaker to outlast Monfils and reach the quarterfinals in a match of more than two hours on center court. It was the 1,200th career win for Federer, allowing him to join Jimmy Connors as the only male players to have reached the milestone in the Open Era. "I'm not sure if I've lost a match before after winning the first set 6-0. The statistics show that usually you are in good shape. But with Gael you really never know," Federer said. "He really got into a great groove after that, he had great intensity. At the end I played a great tiebreaker so I'm very relieved and I'm very happy right now." In the women's quarterfinals, top-ranked Naomi Osaka lost 3-6, 6-2, 7-5 to Belinda Bencic, falling to the Swiss for the second time this season. Bencic will now face two-time Madrid champion Simona Halep, the former No. 1 who defeated Ashleigh Barty 7-5, 7-5. American Sloane Stephens got past Petra Martic in two sets and will face Kiki Bertens, who upset defending champion Petra Kvitova 6-2, 6-3 in a rematch of last year's final. The fourth-seeded Federer had eased past Richard Gasquet in his first match in Madrid and looked set for another comfortable win after routing Monfils in less than 20 minutes in the opening set. But the Swiss lost five straight games to fall behind the 18th-ranked Frenchman who was seeking his second title of the season. Federer, who looked frustrated at times, recovered after being down 0-3 and 1-4 in the third set. He saved the two match points in a long game when trailing 5-6. The 20-time Grand Slam champion was back in control in the tiebreaker, winning six of the first seven points. Monfils, who won only nine points in the first set, was seeking his 19th win this season. He won the Rotterdam title in February. Federer will next face fifth-seeded Dominic Thiem, who defeated Fabio Fognini 6-4, 7-5. The fifth-ranked Austrian is coming off titles in Barcelona and Indian Wells. He was runner-up in Madrid the last two years. Federer, who earned his 20th win of the season, skipped the clay swing the last two years to remain fit for the rest of the season. The Madrid Open is his first clay tournament as he prepares to return to the French Open after a three-year absence. He has already won two hard-court titles this season, in Dubai and Miami, and is seeking his third Madrid trophy, and first since 2012. Earlier, top-ranked Novak Djokovic reached the final eight by beating Jeremy Chardy 6-1, 7-6 (2). It was his 13th consecutive win over Chardy, all in straight sets. "You do have a little bit more of a confidence coming into a match knowing that you've never lost to your opponent," Djokovic said. "But he was playing well here." Djokovic will next face Marin Cilic, who came from behind to beat Laslo Djere 4-6, 6-3, 6-2. Djokovic is seeking his second title of the season, and third in Madrid. He began the year by winning the Australian Open. Also advancing to the quarterfinals in Madrid were Stefanos Tsitsipas and Stan Wawrinka, who defeated sixth-seeded Kei Nishikori in two sets.