Roger Federer vs. Gael Monfils: Score and Reaction from 2015 French Open

Roger Federer claimed his spot in the 2015 French Open quarter-finals on Monday, showing a clinical edge against Gael Monfils to dominate a tie that resumed at a set apiece after poor light halted play on Sunday.  

Consistent rain delays meant Federer and Monfils were never going to complete their Round 4 match on their first attempt, but a much more spirited Monday outing gave Federer the means to recall his finest form.

Monfils was unable to keep up his defiance against the Swiss, who triumphed 6-3, 4-6, 6-4, 6-1 after resuming action on level terms. The official Roland Garros Twitter account confirmed Federer’s victory:

Monfils took no time in maintaining his reputation as a player capable of transitioning from the extraordinary to the downright daft as the third set got underway on Monday. 

The Frenchman found himself with a 40-0 lead in the opening game, only to sacrifice it with some unnecessary showboating, permitting Federer to take the break point at his second attempt and claim a 1-0 lead.

Francois Mori/Associated Press

That loss of serve proved pivotal as Federer held his own to go two up.

As was evidenced in Sunday’s spirited display, Monfils is producing some of his best tennis, but Ian Danter of talkSPORT rightly suggested Federer looked capable of more:

That underlying sense of superiority gradually rose to the fore as Federer broke serve for the second time to amass a 5-3 lead, the kind of error Monfils simply couldn’t afford against the Swiss.

The Frenchman’s athletic, unpredictable approach has proven capable of troubling Federer recently, but Christopher Clarey of the New York Times suggested otherwise, as the 2009 French Open champion clinched the third set:

It was at this point the notion started to grow that a comeback may be beyond Monfils’ talents and that “reserve gear” hinted at by Danter began to come into vision.

Using the momentum built up to his advantage, Federer broke his opponent’s serve for a third time at the start of the fourth set, and Courtney Nguyen of Sports Illustrated noted that even the French crowd was turning in favour of the Swiss:

At 3-1 down in the fourth, it was here that Monfils may have rued his decision to take matters so lightly at the start of Monday’s session. After all, it was crucial that he put his rival onto the back foot early in the contest, but Federer’s grip at this stage looked decisive, an unassailable menace when in full stride.

Having lost his serve just twice in Sunday’s two sets, Monfils now cast a far more dampened figure and matched that record in the fourth set alone, succumbing to Federer’s backhand return as he stumbled to a 4-1 deficit.

As the Frenchman’s Roland Garros run appeared to be nearing its end, Clarey reported Monfils was fighting a cold this week, something that would by no means help:

Irrespective of any illness inhibiting Monfils, Monday gave Federer his platform to shine in a display that would have troubled any opponent.

Monfils' determination to fight seemingly drained as the odds stacked increasingly against him, ending the clash with a long forehand that summed up his Monday outing—off target and with little hope of troubling his foe.

No. 8 seed Stanislas Wawrinka awaits in the final eight as the two Swiss giants seek to advance into the semi-finals.

The rain delays on Sunday undoubtedly disrupted Federer at a welcome moment, and he agreed that Monday's display was a major improvement, noting he's now playing "more committed" tennis:

Under no false impressions regarding the overnight adjustments he made between the two sessions, Federer hailed his own standards in the latter two sets:

Wawrinka will offer his compatriot a far more consistent threat than Monfils, one who might not be so willing to give up points when a calm head is needed.

That being said, Federer showed the kind of no-nonsense play on Monday that tends to guide him past opposition of any level, and Wawrinka will need no small measure of fortune if he intends to beat his countryman in his current vein of form.