French Open: Somdev Devvarman earns second round bout with Federer

Somdev Devvarman played with typical resilience to win the battle of qualifiers for the honour of playing Roger Federer for a place in the third round of the French Open. The 188th ranked Indian was at his fighting best as he worked his way past Daniel Munoz-De La Nava 6-3, 6-3, 7-5 in a two hour, 39 minute match on court 6.

Somdev, who defeated Wayne Odesnik in the third round of the qualifiers, started on the back foot when he fell to 0-40 in the first game. But the 26-year-old did well to claw back to deuce, before saving another break point before holding serve.

The Indian faced three more break points in the fifth and another in the seventh, but saved them all to keep the set on serve at 4-3. Finally, the 145th ranked Spaniard offered the first chance of the match to Somdev in the eighth game. The Indian accepted it with glee to find himself serving for the first set at 5-3.

Serving for the set, Somdev courted more drama when he slipped to 15-40. But he saved break point number nine and ten with a couple of big serves before clinching the set at the first opportunity. The Spaniard made 18 unforced errors, most of them at inopportune times as he squandered chance after chance to lose the set in 45 minutes.

The second set followed a similar pattern as it was Munoz-De La Nava who had the early opportunities – a breakpoint in the 18 point second game and three more in the sixth game went begging as Somdev held to 3-3. The stubborn ways of the Indian got under the skin of the Spaniard who was promptly broken in the next game. Eventually, Somdev broke again in the ninth game, taking his third set point to take control of the match with a two set lead.

The 145th ranked player looked to fight back, breaking Somdev in the first game of the third set before consolidating for a 2-0 lead. Munoz-De La Nava served for the set at 5-4, but suffered a bout of nerves to surrender a crucial break. The slip allowed Somdev to claw his way back into the set just when it seemed like the match was heading into a fourth set.

Somdev saved a break point in the eleventh game to ensure Munoz-De La Nava was forced to serve to stay in the match. The edgy Spaniard wilted under the weight, snapping at the second time of asking to gift the decisive break to help Somdev seal an important victory.

In his two earlier outings at Roland Garros, Somdev lost in the first round on each occasion. The victory earned Somdev a second shot at Federer. The last time the two met was at Dubai in 2011 where Federer won 6-3, 6-3 in the second round.