The defeat ended top-seeded Federer's quest to become the first man to win the Rotterdam tournament three times.
The Frenchman set the tone by breaking Federer in the match's first game, pouncing on a backhand that hit the net to power a backhand pass down the line for the game.
He looked to have stumbled in the 4th game when he served two double faults to allow Federer to break back, but Benneteau broke again in the 7th and 9th games to take the set.
He raced to a 4-1 lead in the second set before Federer again reeled off three straight games. The Swiss 17-time Grand Slam champion looked like he was on his way back when he forced three break points at 5-5, but Benneteau grittily held service.
Summing up his sloppy play on the night, Federer served his fourth double fault to give Benneteau match point and the Frenchman immediately took it to win.
"I started bad, but fortunately got back into the game. But when you get broken as much as happened to me, you won’t get the job done. I don’t want to leave, I want to play. I feel bad for the fans who don’t get to see me now. Hopefully this wasn’t my last time here." said Federer.
"It is one of the biggest wins, for sure," the 39th-ranked Frenchman said. "To play against Roger, Friday night, full house, it's a dream and I played like in a dream."
It was the first time in 28 consecutive quarter finals Federer lost to a player from outside the top twenty. The last time was in 2008 in Rome, when he misjudged Radek Stepanek.
Date: 15th February 2013, Source: ATP, ESPN and Rotterdam
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