Somdev qualifies, Saketh falters at Citi Open

India’s top ranked singles player Somdev Devvarman qualified for the main draw of the Citi Open. He defeated Christian Harrison of the USA 6-0 6-1 in the final qualifying round. He fired seven aces, never let his opponent gain a break point and, in fact, the younger of the Harrison brothers could manage a hold only once – in the second game of the second set. With this stellar performance,  Somdev has gained entry into the main draw. He is now inching toward the top 100 after a serious shoulder injury that sidelined him for most of last season.

In the other final qualifying round featuring an Indian, Saketh Myneni lost to top seed Matthew Ebden of Australia 3-6 1-6. He had earlier defeated former top 50 player Donald Young 6-7(2) 6-3 6-4 in the first round. Saketh has been performing well for the past few months, amassing six titles this year on the Futures circuit, which has seen him rise to the second spot among Indian players behind Somdev Devvarman in the ATP Rankings. He is now making his transition to the Challenger tour and participating in qualifying draws at ATP events as well. He had fallen to Donald Young in the second round of last week’s Atlanta ATP event.

Sanam Singh lost his first round encounter to Samuel Groth of Australia 0-6 5-7. Another Indian placed in the draws at Citi Open is Rohan Bopanna. The current World No.3 in the doubles rankings is participating in the doubles event with German Andre Begemann and will face top seeds Alexander Peya and Bruno Soares in the first round.