Paris - Roger Federer failed to break his Paris Masters jinx when he fluffed five match points in a 7-6 6-7 7-6 semi-final defeat to local favourite Gael Monfils on Saturday.
The 12th-seeded Monfils will meet Swede Robin Soderling in Sunday's final after the Soderling saved three match points before ending Frenchman Michael Llodra's brilliant run with a 6-7 7-5 7-6 win.
Federer, a 16-times grand slam champion, had five match points in the deciding set's 12th game but Monfils saved them all to force a tiebreaker he won 7-4, ending the contest with a service winner after two hours, 41 minutes.
Swiss Federer, who has never won the Paris Masters, next plays the season-ending ATP Finals in London from November 21. - Reuters