Monfils broke back in the seventh match but too late to the turn the match around.
"I'm hitting the ball well this week. I like this court," said Murray, who would relish the chance to play Federer again. "At the US Open, I wished I could have played better but he was great and deserved to win."
There was never any doubt Murray was in control against Monfils and his only qualm was over some slipshod serving early in the match.
"When you play against someone like Gael, you know you'll have some fun," he said. "We've known each other since the juniors and I know his game pretty well.
"I served very badly at the start. But once I got a few more serves in, I only lost one more game until I lost my focus right at the end. I started to relax and hit the ball pretty well. It was a really satisfying performance."
