Roger Federer's dreams of winning his first Rome Masters title ended when he slumped to a 6-2 6-4 defeat against Italian wild card Filippo Volandri in the last 16 yesterday.

The world number one, who finished runner-up in Rome in 2003 and 2006, never found his rhythm against Volandri, dropping serve three times on the way to surrendering the first set.

He rallied briefly at the start of the second set, but four unforced errors in the third game allowed Volandri to grab another break and serve out for the match.

Federer's defeat means he has now gone four tournaments without a title - his longest stretch without a title since becoming world number one in February 2004.

"What I've done here will only sink in tomorrow. This is the best court in the world. The crowd was fabulous," said Volandri.

Third seed Andy Roddick also fell, losing 6-0 6-4 to Juan Ignacio Chela.