Somdev Devvarman became India's first tennis gold medallist at the Commonwealth Games with a 6-4, 6-2 win over Australia's Greg Jones at the R.K. Khanna Tennis Stadium here on Sunday. Devvarman converted his second match-point to clinch the men's singles event, preventing Australia's domination in the inaugural discipline, after India had faced relatively disappointing results from stars such as Leander Paes, Mahesh Bhupathi and Sania Mirza.
Precise and consistent from the backcourt, the World No. 97 broke Jones once in the first set — in the seventh game — to go 4-3 up, and then maintained his supremacy to close it out 6-4 in 42 minutes.
The second set was a veritable rout. Jones, ranked 234 in the world, served ahead and hurt his knee in the first game as he went for a pick up at the net.
He availed himself of a medical timeout, and appeared to fizzle out thereafter, as Devvarman broke him to 15 and ran to 5-0 with two more breaks of serve.
A flutter went through the stadium as Devvarman, serving for the match at 5-0, double-faulted at match-point, and was broken for 5-1.
Jones held his serve for 5-2, but a comeback from here was asking for the impossible and the crowd favourite closed out the match on serve for a 6-4, 6-2 win.
Earlier, Australia added another gold to its kitty when Anastasia Rodionova and Sally Peers took home the women's doubles crown. The top-seeded pair beat compatriots Jessica Moore and Olivia Rogowska 6-3, 2-6, 6-3 in the final.
India, meanwhile, had to content itself with a bronze after Sania Mirza and Rushmi Chakravarthi emerged straight-set victors over Nirupama Sanjeev and Poojashree Venkatesh.
The fourth-seeded Indian duo spent an hour and 14 minutes on court to win 6-4, 6-2 before a handful of spectators who rooted equally for either team.
After having lost a nail-biting singles final to Rodionova on Saturday evening, Sania appeared fresh for another battle, bludgeoning winners off the forehand, and kept her suspect serve ticking.
