Gael Monfils Ousts Fernando Verdasco, Andy Roddick Reaches Quarterfinals

Fernando Verdasco was one point from a place in the Paris quarterfinals, but Gael Monfils battled back from the brink to shove the sixth-seeded Spaniard out of the BNP Paribas Masters draw. Monfils fought off two match points in the second set to rally for a 6-7 (4), 7-6 (2), 7-5 victory that ended Verdasco's chances of qualifying for the season-ending ATP World Tour Finals in London.

Verdasco's departure means Wimbledon finalist Tomas Berdych, Valencia champion David Ferrer and Andy Roddick—who opened the day's play with a 6-3, 7-6(8) win over Ernests Gulbis—will join World No. 1 Rafael Nadal, 16-time Grand Slam champion Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray and Robin Soderling in the eight-man field for London, which starts on November 21st.

Serving at 4-5 in the second set, Monfils sliced a serve that left Verdasco lunging to save a second match point. Monfils lashed a strong second serve out wide then held for five-all when Verdasco floated a forehand long.

The 2009 finalist raced through the second-set tie breaker to force a decisive set.

A nervous Verdasco saved a break point at five-all, but double faulted off the top of the tape to hand Monfils another break point. Verdasco dumped a timid forehand drop volley into net as a leaping Monfils broke for 6-5. 

A pair of Verdasco winners gave him a 15-30 edge in the ensuing game, but he would get no closer as Monfils snuffed out the Spaniard's hopes with successive unreturnable serves. When Verdasco banged a backhand beyond the baseline, Monfils was through to the quarterfinals for the second straight year.

Roddick clinched a spot in the ATP World Tour Finals for the eighth straight year.

"I thought I played a really good tie breaker," Roddick said. "He came up with some really great shots in the breaker and almost kind of snuck it out. I was able to control the rallies with my chip and keep my ball down out of the strike zone for the majority of the day. It was just solid. I was making him play, every ball and picking the right shots to attack. I was happy with it overall."

By virtue of today's win, Roddick eliminated his sometime practice partner, Jürgen Melzer, from qualifying for the ATP World Tour finals in London. Melzer needed to win the Paris title and needed Roddick to lose by the third round in order to qualify for London. 

Roddick will face either the fourth-seeded Soderling or Stanislas Wawrinka for a semifinal spot. 

The eighth-ranked Roddick raised his record to 3-0 vs. Gulbis, including rallying from a one-set, one break deficit to post a 3-6, 7-5, 6-2, 7-5 win at the 2008 US Open.

Roddick, who has reached the Paris final four in two of his last four appearances, missed the tournament last year and said he's satisfied with the speed of the surface, which rewards his resounding serve.

Roddick opened a 2-0 first-set lead and never looked back in erasing the only break point he faced in the match.

Gulbis saved three match points and gained a set point in the breaker, but could not convert. Gulbis netted a rally forehand as Roddick closed the one hour, 33-minute match.

"He's dangerous at any time," said Roddick of Gulbis. "The difference between someone at the top level of tennis and someone who displays flashes of brilliance is doing it again and again and again. We call it the repeater. He'll get there. The courts are fast (here in Paris) and a lot out of what happens is out of your hands. There should be some fast courts in tennis—and I'm having fun playing on it."