Somdev Devvarman won his second Challenger singles title of the season as he battled past Daniel Nguyen of the USA 7-5, 4-6, 7-6(5) in three hours and 31 minutes, in the final of the $50,000 men's tennis tournament in Winnetka, the USA.
The 30-year-old Somdev, seeded seventh in the tournament had dropped only one other set, in the quarterfinals against qualifier Nicolas Meister of the USA, who had beaten the top-seeded Tatsuma Ito of Japan.
It was the fifth Challenger singles title for the 173rd-ranked Somdev, and the second of the season after the Delhi Open $100,000 event in February.
In a match of fluctuating fortunes, it was Somdev’s better serve that clinched it for him, as the two players broke serve eight times each. Somdev had five aces and five doublefaults, to an ace and nine doublefaults by his opponent.
Interestingly, the American won 129 points, two more than Somdev, in the match, but the Indian Davis Cupper won the points that mattered at the crunch. It was an excellent preparation for Somdev before the Davis Cup Asia Oceania group-I final round scheduled in New Zealand next week.
With 80 ATP points, apart from a prize purse of $7200, Somdev could get back to his No.1 position in the country, ahead of the 156th-ranked Yuki Bhambri, when the rankings come out on Monday.
There was a lot more good news, as Shweta Rana won her maiden ITF women's title, as she partnered Ola Abou Zekry of Egypt, to beat Varvara Kuznetsova of Russia and Katya Malikova of Ukraine 6-3, 4-6, 10-7 in the doubles final of the $10,000 women’s tournament in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt.
The results:
$50,000 Challenger men, Winnetka, the USA: Singles (final): Somdev Devvarman bt Daniel Nguyen (USA) 7-5, 4-6, 7-6(5).
$10,000 ITF women, Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt: Doubles (final): Ola Abou Zekry (Egy) & Shweta Rana bt Varvra Kuznetsova (Rus) & Katya Malikvoa (Ukr) 6-3, 4-6, 10-7.
