Gael Monfils stunned Rafael Nadal 6-3, 6-4 in the semifinals of the Qatar Open Friday to line up an unexpected all-French final against Jo-Wilfried Tsonga after Roger Federer pulled out of the tournament with back spasms. The match was overshadowed by Federer withdrawing only 30 minutes before his match against Tsonga. The 16-time Grand Slam winner said his back had not improved since beating Andreas Seppi in three sets Thursday. Federer, who was looking for his fourth title in Doha, apologized to organizers but said he didn't want to risk further injury ahead of the Australian Open, which starts Jan. 16. Soeda stuns Wawrinka Japanese qualifier Go Soeda upset defending champion Stanislas Wawrinka of Switzerland 6-4, 6-4 to storm into the semifinals of the ATP Chennai Open Friday. The 120th-ranked Soeda will now play top-seed Janko Tipsarevic of Serbia. World No. 9 Tipsarevic overcame Belgian wildcard David Goffin 6-2, 3-6, 6-2 in a late night match that lasted two hours. The other semifinal Saturday will feature second seed Nicolas Almagro of Spain against No. 4 Milos Raonic of Canada. World No. 10 Almagro saved three match points in the second set and wasted three himself in the third before beating another Japanese qualifier Yuichi Sugita 4-6, 7-6 (10/8), 6-4. Raonic blasted 15 aces to oust Israel's number one Dudi Sela 7-6 (7/4), 6-3.
