Federer makes French Open semifinals

Paris -- Roger Federer overcame Fernando Gonzalez 2-6, 6-2, 6-3, 6-4 in a men's quarterfinal match on Wednesday at the French Open tennis tournament in Paris.

The top-seeded men's player bounced back after his serve was broken three times an uncharacteristic 12 unforced errors in a shaky first set against his unseeded Chilean foe.

"It's good," Federer told reporters. "I have been in so many semis of Grand Slams in a row. It's always a great pleasure being in the last four. This is usually where I hope to play my best and especially here at the French, which is supposed to maybe be the toughest one for me."

Also on Wednesday, 6-foot-4 inch Frenchman Gilles Monfils downed Spaniard David Ferrer, the fifth seed, 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, 6-1.

Wednesday's winners joined No. 2 Rafael Nadal, the three-time defending champion, and reigning Australian Open winner Novak Djokovic of Serbia, the third seed, in Friday's semifinals.

Copyright 2008 by United Press International.