Federer exits Roland Garros warm-up early
Switzerland’s Roger Federer has failed to qualify for the quarterfinals of the Italian Open after losing to Richard Gasquet of France.
The 16th seeded Frenchman won 4-6, 7-6 (2), 7-6 (4) in a match lasting nearly two and a half hours at Rome’s Foro Italico clay court.
Federer, seeded third, had won his last eight meetings against Gasquet but made a series of uncharacteristic errors from the baseline as the match wore on.
The tournament is a key warm-up for Roland Garros, which starts on May 17. It is also one of only three Masters Series events that Federer has failed to win.
Gasquet now faces Czech Republic’s Tomas Berdych.
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