Federer blown away in Monte Carlo

Swiss tennis star Roger Federer has lost his quarterfinal match at the Monte Carlo Masters 6-4, 6-4 against seventh-seeded Jürgen Melzer of Austria.

The 16-time grand slam champion wasted seven breakpoints in windy conditions.

Melzer, who broke once in each set, sealed victory when Federer chopped a weak forehand into the net. The Austrian next takes on David Ferrer of Spain in the semifials.

“I don’t think I played terrible. I thought it was okay,” Federer said. “Obviously, it was still the first week of clay, so I don’t expect to play my very best.”

Federer’s latest defeat will raise more questions about whether he is slipping further behind the world’s two top players, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic.

The last time Federer lost before the semifinals was at Wimbledon last July, when he was beaten by Tomas Berdych in the quarterfinals.

Friday’s loss was Federer’s only defeat this year to a player other than Nadal or Djokovic.