TENNIS in DEPTH.

Michael Llodra powered to his fourth ATP career title with victory over fellow Frenchman and doubles partner Julien Benneteau in the Open 13 final.

Llodra, a runner-up at the event in 2009, never looked in danger on his own serve and cruised to a 6-3 6-4 victory in Marseille.

The world number 79 created only two break points in the match and converted both to win in an hour and 10 minutes.

Llodra fired down 14 aces, including one on his first match point, and afterwards spoke of his delight to have avenged his defeat to Jo-Wilfried Tsonga last year.

“I had set myself one aim this year and that was to win a tournament in France at last. I’m proud,” said Llodra, who won his previous titles in Hertogenbosch, Rotterdam and Adelaide.

Eighth-seeded Benneteau battled for almost three hours to beat defending champion Tsonga in the semi-finals on Saturday but he refused to blame Sunday’s loss on fatigue.

“My previous matches have been tough and long but that is not the reason why I lost. I lost because of Michael Llodra. I can only say ‘hats off to him’ as he served extremely well. I’ve had no break points,” Benneteau, 28, told Sport+.

“It’s tough to end a tournament this way but I couldn’t do anything,” the world number 39, who has yet to win an ATP title, added.

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World number one Roger Federer slumped to a surprise 3-6 7-6 6-4 defeat by unheralded Frenchman Julien Benneteau in the second round of the Paris Masters on Wednesday.

Top seed Federer, who had a first-round bye, made unusual unforced errors to fall to the unseeded Benneteau, ranked 49th in the world.

The elegant Swiss, who has never advanced past the quarter-finals of the indoor event, started well but then struggled, losing the second set in a tiebreak and falling a break down early in the third set.

Cheered on by a partisan crowd, Benneteau, who has never won an ATP singles title, took his chances and hit some amazing winners.

He sealed victory with an ace on the first match point to set up a third-round match against his compatriot Gael Monfils.

“I can definitely play much better but I can also play much worse,” said Federer.

“It wasn’t a bad performance. I think Julien went out and got the victory. I definitely had chances. I missed them.

“I’m not looking for excuses,” added the Swiss, who asked for a challenge on match point, which confirmed Benneteau’s serve was in.

“It’s just tough. I don’t have a good record here at Bercy and that showed maybe a little at the end. I was not feeling that comfortable.”

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Defending champion Andy Murray battled from a set and a break down to see off French lucky loser Julien Benneteau and advance to the semi-finals of the Cincinnati Masters tonight.

The 22-year-old Scot had been an overwhelming favourite heading into this quarter-final tie, but found himself staring at a shock exit when he conceded his first set of the week 6-4 and then went 2-0 down in the second.

However, the world number two responded brilliantly with three breaks of serve to level the match and then stormed through to third set to prevail 4-6 6-3 6-1 and secure a last-four date with  Roger Federer, who took just over an hour and  a half to eliminate a limping Lleyton Hewitt.

Murray started brightly enough, earning the first break of serve in the fifth game to establish a 3-2 lead.

But Benneteau, only in the draw courtesy of Juan Martin del Potro’s withdrawal due to fatigue, broke back immediately and then took the set courtesy of a sloppy game from Murray which included a wayward forehand and a double fault.

The world number 55 continued his momentum against the shellshocked Briton into the opening of the second set, breaking in the second game to put himself firmly in the driving seat.

Benneteau missed a smash in the next game at the end of an amazing 53-shot rally to allow Murray a way back in, and the Dunblane-born player capitalised by reeling off the next three games.

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Julien Benneteau surprised friends and foes on the third day of the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament . The 27-year old Frenchman had little trouble with number five of the world Nikolay Davydenko: 6-3, 6-2.

Julien Benneteau, ranked number 50, will meet the winner of the French get-together between Michael Llodra and Ga

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