Aisam-Bopanna cruise into semis; Federer knocked out

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Aisam-Bopanna cruise into semis; Federer knocked out

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Aisamul Haq and Rohan Bopanna cruised into the semi-finals of the Monte Carlo Tennis Championship.

15 April,2011 07:21 pm

Playing their first-ever clay court Masters Tournament, Pak-India tennis pair of Aisam and Bopanna thrashed the pair of Daniel Nestor of Canada and Max Mirnyi of Belarus by 6-1, 7-5 in the quarterfinal.Meanwhile, Jurgen Melzer handed Roger Federer only his fifth loss of the season as the Austrian came through in a virtual sandstorm with a 6-4, 6-4 quarterfinal victory on Friday at the Monte Carlo Masters.Federer, a three-time finalist in 2006-2008 against Rafael Nadal, was well off his best form after two superlative previous matches this week in the principality as he began his season on clay. The Swiss was quick to admit he was outplayed on the day as he missed on too many chances.Melzer added the final major scalp to his record and was pleased with the result, especially after being forced to leave the court after just one game for physio treatment of a neck problem. The Austrian also said he was pleased to have finally defeated Federer.Spains fourth seed David Ferrer will face Melzer in the semis after defeating Serb Viktor Troicki 6-3, 6-3.