Who would have imagined finding the 351st world player, Benjamin Balleret, facing world number one Roger Federer in the third round? Not many people. But the Monégasque tennis player proved over two sets on the Monte Carlo center court that he is not at this stage of the competition by chance. It is already a victory for him. He emerged from qualifying, which is never straightforward. If he had to justify his presence and his worth, he would only have to cite the players he eliminated: Alberto Portas, Jonas Bjorkman, Christophe Rochus, Sébastien Grosjean even though the latter withdrew.
The red and white Monégasque and Swiss flags flourish in the stands under the eyes of Prince Albert II. The center court full to bursting under scorching sun: people came to see King Roger impressively crush Alberto Martin the day before (6-0, 6-1). We feared the same punishment for Benjamin nicknamed “Ballou”. This was not the case. Ballou did not disappoint. Relaxed, he played his tennis and it is beautiful tennis! He displayed his backhand admirably. A model of its kind, sharp, precise and effective. His serve approaching or exceeding 200 km/h is a weapon he used to trouble Roger Federer. Scoring the first point of the match, he can say: “I led against the number one”.
Federer remains focused. He does not underestimate his opponent. He applies himself and manages to break at 2-2 in the first set on two forehands just a few centimeters out of the 22-year-old Monégasque’s reach. The Swiss concludes the first set in 30 minutes (6-3). The start of the second act is undecided. Each player wins his service. On his second service game, Roger Federer concedes the first three points. The center court vibrates. The supporters and friends of Benjamin Balleret begin to dream. What if…
Alas, this is the moment the Swiss chooses to raise his level. The turning point of the match is at 30-40. The princely player engages in a long baseline exchange where he rivals in power and precision. He gains ground, backs the Basel player into a corner. He believes he wins the point by slipping a drop shot with backspin. But with Federer, a drop shot is never drop shot enough, and backspin is never backspin enough. He reaches the ball and places a perfect forehand out of Ballou’s reach. Too bad. Federer wins his service and plays smoothly. Game, set and match Federer 6-3, 6-2, pride, hopes and ovation Balleret. The surprising Monégasque can exit with his head held high. Spectators leaving the match are unanimous: “He deserves better than his 351st place!”. So we hope to see him again, why not at Roland Garros to confirm his remarkable princely week. As for Roger Federer, he continues smoothly his path in this tournament. Just like his heir Rafaël Nadal, laboriously defeating Belgian Cristof Vliegen with a flattering score for the Spaniard (6-3, 6-3).
Simon Powerless
Gilles Simon could do nothing against the power of Croatian Ivan Lubjicic, world number 5. Yet Gilles Simon seemed to have the weapons. The fatigue accumulated after his performance last week in Valencia where he reached the final, added to his intense three-set match against Tomas Berdych is probably the primary reason for his underperformance. Gilles Simon is only 21 years old. He is part of the hopes of French tennis, he who was in the shadow of Gaël Monfils and Richard Gasquet. He is gaining experience and this will be beneficial for the rest of his career. A final in an important tournament and a third round among the sixteen best players in the competition allow him to climb a few places in the ATP ranking. This allows him to join the main draw of tournaments without going through qualifying.
Gilles Simon loses 6-3 6-2. In difficulty in the first two rounds against Andreev and Serra, Ivan Lubjicic demonstrated that despite his large frame he could be effective on clay. He is finding his rhythm and could be dangerous for the rest of the tournament.
The “Specialists”
Juan-Carlos Ferrero, two-time winner in Monte-Carlo, faced his compatriot David Ferrer, the Spaniard who is “rising” notably with the sensation of the Miami Masters series where he eliminated Andy Roddick on hard court. David Ferrer had distinguished himself at Roland Garros in 2005: he had beaten defending champion Gaston Gaudio before losing in the quarterfinals to future champion Rafaël Nadal. David Ferrer is therefore a multi-surface player.
Ferrero is trying to return to his best level. In September 2003, he had even slipped into first place in the world two months after winning Roland Garros.
This Thursday, Ferrero and Ferrer delivered a great match. Ferrer wins two sets to one (6-1, 6-7, 6-3). The last two sets are intense. The two players exchange blow for blow. Clay court play but spectacular.
The defenses are precise and the exchanges lengthen. The objective is to gain ground on the opponent. Ferrer proves more consistent and more attacking. His victory is therefore logical.
Other qualifiers for the quarterfinals
-Tommy Robredo who creates a small upset by eliminating Argentine David Nalbandian (5-7, 6-1, 7-5).
-Gaston Gaudio who easily dispatches Italian Di Mauro (6-2, 6-4).
-Guillermo Coria had to work hard to rid himself of rough German Nicolas Kiefer (6-7, 6-4, 6-3).
-Fernando Gonzalez on the withdrawal of Robin Soderling.
Quarterfinal schedule:
-Federer-Ferrer: the test
-Lubjicic-Gonzalez: hyper power
-Gaudio-Robredo: the specialists act II
-Coria-Nadal: the rematch
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