World number one Roger Federer was stunned by unseeded Frenchman Julien Benneteau 3-6, 7-6(4), 6-4 in the second round at the Paris Masters tennis tournament on Wednesday. Federer's exit capped a dramatic day at the Bercy arena, where Rafael Nadal saved five match points to beat Spanish compatriot Nicolas Almagro, and former three-time champion Marat Safin bid farewell to the tennis circuit.

The Swiss master looked on course for another easy victory after cruising through the first set but came unstuck in the second as uncharacteristic errors began to creep into his game.

And the Frenchman started to find his range, dominating the tiebreaker of the second set, leveling the match with a low return that landed just inside the baseline.

Julien Benneteau of France reacts during his match against Roger Federer of Switzerland in the Paris Masters tennis tournament November 11, 2009

Benneteau, the world number 49, was roared on by his home crowd and secured the result of his life with an ace after bringing up match point by rattling a crosscourt backhand past the 15-time Grand Slam-winner. "He was very strong at the end," said Federer of his 27-year-old opponent, who has never won an ATP title.

"Even in the second set, I don't think I had a break point.

"I can definitely play better but I can also play much worse. It wasn't a bad performance. Julien went out and got the victory. I had chances and missed them."

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