The 75th-ranked Monfils, who defeated Andy Roddick and Lleyton Hewitt, had six double faults in his first five service games.

"I had troubles adjusting to the strong wind. It disturbed my timing and that's why I hit so many errors," Monfils said.

The 48th-ranked Argentine dropped only six points in the second set. Monaco lost only one set _ in the quarterfinals against defending champion Nikolay Davydenko _ in five matches during the tournament.

"This is the reward for the hard work I have put in the last couple of weeks," Monaco said.

Monaco won the tiebreaker with a spectacular volley at the net.

"That was the moment where I knew I just could not lose this match," the Argentine player said. "I went full-blooded for every single point in the tiebreaker."

After dropping 0-2 behind in the second set, Monfils gave away his racket to a girl in the crowd.

"I was just too tired. It had become a physical battle and I was playing more against my tiredness than against Juan," Monfils said, who last week reached the semifinals in Zagrab, Croatia. "I didn't expect to play so many matches before Roland Garros."

Monaco looks forward to the French Open, which starts Sunday.