New York, Aug 30 (Inditop.com) Indian Somdev Devvarman has qualified for his first Grand Slam singles event by making the US Open main draw, defeating Poland’s Jerzy Janowicz 6-3, 6-2 in the qualifiers at Flushing Meadows.
Somdev, who was three points from winning Friday’s rain-interrupted third round qualifier, having led 6-3, 5-2, 15-15, was quickly home when the match resumed Saturday.
The 24-year-old India No.1 now plays 110th ranked Frederico Gil of Portugal in the first round of the US Open, starting Monday.
Gil, who is a month and 11 days younger to the 161st ranked Indian, turned pro in 2003 and already has the taste of playing in Grand Slam events, having played in French Open, Wimbledon and US open last year and also this year at Roland Garros and Wimbledon, but has never gone beyond first round.
Somdev, who narrowly failed to qualify for the Australian Open and then tried in vain to make the French Open and Wimbledon main draws this year, became the first Indian to qualify for the US Open since Los Angeles-born Indian Prakash Amritraj played in 2002.
Somdev has never met Gil before. If the Indian clears the first round he might face World No. 23 Germany’s Philipp Kohlschreiber, who is meeting Andreas Seppi of Italy in the opener. Kohlschreiber has been in great form this season and took out World No. 4 Novak Djokovic from the French Open draw. Later in Wimbledon, the German took a set off Roger Federer in the third round.
Somdev has had his best run on the Tour after a sensational start to his pro career when he entered the final at the Chennai Open in January. On the US hardcourt circuit, he entered third round at Legg Mason Classic in Washington and also qualified for the LA Open. Somdev’s maiden stint in Grand Slam was in Wimbledon this year where he made it to the main draw with South African partner and good friend Kevin Anderson. They lost to Mahesh Bhupathi and Mark Knowles in the first round.
Somdev Friday began on a solid note winning the first set, gaining the decisive break of serve, in a little over half an hour. He was in control of the match with two early breaks in the second set and just when he was about to wrap up things the storm intervened. He completed the formality late Saturday night.
Sania Mirza is the only other Indian player in the singles and she plays Olga Govortsova of Belarus in the first round.
rounak