Somdev Devvarman gave a huge scare to world number 29 Jergen Melzer before bowing out in the second round of the ATP Zagreb Indoor championships here on Thursday.
The unseeded Indian, whose 2012 season was spoiled by a shoulder injury, suffered a 6-1 6-7(5) 2-6 defeat against the fourth seed from Austria.
Melzer fought his way back after being outplayed in the first set and then held his game to outclass the Indian and book a place in the quarter-finals.
In the past, Somdev has beaten top players such as Cyprus’ Marcos Baghdatis, and Iva Karlovic and Marin Cilic from Croatia.
In the doubles event, Somdev and his partner F Cipolla have reached the quarter-finals after beating M Delic and F Skugor 6-4 6-2 in the opening round.
The article has been corrected for spelling errors
