China Open: Somdev Devvarman reaches main draw
Somdev Devvarman – File Photo
In yet another exhilarating display of tennis, Indian ace Somdev Devvarman booked a spot in the main draw of the ATP 500 in Beijing. The Indian number one defeated higher ranked Paolo Lorenzi after being a set down to prevail 3-6 7-6(5) 6-3 in two hours and 19 minutes.
India’s Somdev Devvarman has celebrated his entry into the top 100 with consecutive victories over opponents ranked higher than him. Devvarman had earlier defeated Robin Haase in three sets 2-6 6-4 6-0 in the opening round of qualifiers. Playing in the hard court tournament in the Chinese capital, Devvarman pulled off an amazing come from behind win to secure a main draw berth.
Just like in the initial round encounter against Robin Haase, Devvarman stumbled in the first set handing it to the Italian after a single break of serve. The second set was more neck-and-neck as the 2 players battled it out with Lorenzi aiming to close out the match. After an exchange of breaks, the set headed to a tie break. In a closely fought breaker, Somdev prevailed to win it 7-5 and force the match into a deciding set.
The final set was going to be a battle of nerves between the two closely ranked players. Devvarman, though, utilized the momentum from making a comeback into the match to break the Italian early. The continuous pressure from the Indian finally broke the resistance from the world number 85 as a second break of serve handed Devvarman the match.
Somdev Devvarman will now face Spaniard Fernando Verdasco in the opening round of the main draw. A win against the Spaniard could see him face to face against world number 1 Novak Djokovic in the 2nd round.