Roger Federer: huge steback ahead of the French Open? (photo: rippa.com)

It has probably been one of the most awful days for Switzerland as two of their top tennis players – Roger Federer and Stanislas Wawrinka – were driven out of the ongoing ATP Monte Carlo Masters in Monaco after losing out to their respective opponents in the 3^rd round on Thursday.

First up, No. 7 seed Stanislas Wawrinka faced a humiliating defeat from the hands of 9^th-seeded Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov. The latter won 79 percent of his first-serve points and stood firm on his serve throughout to pull off a thrashing 6-1 6-2 conquest in just 55 minutes.

Subsequently, a bigger surprise awaited the world of tennis. Roger Federer, the No. 2 seed and one of the strong erstwhile contenders to clinch the title, faced an unpredictable 6-4 7-6 loss to French giant-killer Gael Monfils. With this win, Monfils improved his win-loss record by 4-8 against the Swiss ace.

3^rd Round Results

(1) N Djokovic d. A Haider-Maurer 6-4 6-0

(8) M Cilic d. (11) JW Tsonga 6-3 7-6

(3) R Nadal d. (15) J Isner 7-6 4-6 6-3

(5) David Ferrer d. (10) G Simon 6-2 6-7 6-1

(6) T Berdych d. (12) RB Agut 7-6 6-4

(4) M Raonic d. (16) T Robredo 6-3 3-6 6-3

(9) G Dimitrov d. (7) S Wawrinka 6-1 6-2

(14) G Monfils d. (2) R Federer 6-4 7-6