Devvarman’s Rise or Fall in St. Petersburg—Nathan’s Blog

Written by: Staff on 27th October 2011

Devvarman’s Rise or Fall in St. Petersburg—Nathan’s Blog |

By: Nathan M. Cuny

In the beautiful city of St. Petersburg, the battle has begun for the St. Petersburg Open. Against the backdrop of its historic buildings, the Singles No. 84 Somdev Devvarman, the top ranked Indian player, progressed onto the second round of the tournament. During the tournament’s first round Devvarman had his first head to head match against Singles No.102, Karol Beck. Favoritism predicted Devvarman to win the match, and it held true as he defeated Karol Beck 6-2, 6-3. Devvarman is now set to verse the fourth seed, Singles No. 22, Marin Cilic.

Devvarman attained his record high at No.62 this season towards the end of July. He has won no finals this season, but did reach the Singles Finals at the SA Tennis Open in Johannesburg. There he lost to No. 32, Kevin Anderson. Devvarman also reached the Doubles Finals this season, at the Farmer’s Classic in Los Angeles. He and his teammate, Doubles No. 60, Treat Conrad Huey, lost to Doubles No. 42, Mark Knowles and Singles No. 50, Xavier Malisse. Devvarman has won no tournament titles over the last four years since he turned pro in 2008. However, the improvements in his game have led to a steady rise up the ranks.

Devvarman has played several of the top 20 players this season, such as: No. 3 Andy Murray, No. 4 Roger Federer, No. 17 Viktor Troicki, No.2 Rafeal Nadal who was No. 1 at the time of their match, No.5 David Ferrer, and No. 8 Mardy Fish. Somdev Devvarmen did not win any of the aforementioned matches, but he did make the top players work for their wins, such as his 5-7, 4-6 loss to Nadal. Devvarman’s experience playing against several top players this season may give him an advantage in his upcoming match against No. 22, Marin Cilic, at the St. Petersburg Open.

The exhausting effects of the long season seem to be taking a toll on Devvarman. He gave his A game at the beginning of the season, and as the 2011 season nears its close he has had little progression in many of the tournaments throughout the last two months–usually not proceeding further than the second round. At his best, Devvarman reached the finals or came very close during several tournaments this season, such as the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Indian Wells, where he lost to Rafael Nadal just before the quarter finals.

In Devvarman’s match against Marin Cilic at the St. Petersburg Open, Devvarman will either prove true to his A game by advancing to the quarter finals, or repeat his losses from similar points in the tournaments during these last few months. By the 2011 season’s end, fans of Somdev can hope he’ll retain his No. 84 spot, or slightly better, helping him pave the way for a possible top 20 spot next season.

Topics: St. Petersburg Open