WASHINGTON: Qualifier Somdev Devvarman of India recorded the biggest win of his career Tuesday, upsetting No. 6 seed Marin Cilic of Croatia 7-5, 6-4 to advance to the third round of the Legg Mason Tennis Classic.
Defending champion and No. 2 seeded Juan Martin del Potro of Argentina avoided another upset, as did 10th-seeded Tommy Haas of Germany. Del Potro rallied for a 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 win over Taiwan’s Yen-Hsun Lu in the second round, and Haas also won his second-round match, 6-1, 4-6, 6-4 over Canada’s Frank Dancevic.
No. 8 seed Czech Tomas Berdych defeated Latvia’s Ernest Gulbis 6-2, 7-6 (6) to move into the third round. Asked if his first career win over a top-20 player was his most significant victory, Devvarman said, “Definitely, definitely.”
The 2007 and 2008 NCAA men’s singles champion at Virginia and surprise quarterfinalist in this event last year, Devvarman broke serve twice in each set and was able extend rallies against Cilic despite having played matches in four consecutive days.
“When I’m playing well, I like hitting the ball deep,” Devvarman said. “I felt like today I did that very well.”
Cilic, who defeated Devvarman in the finals at a tournament in Chennai, India in January, unofficially had 35 unforced errors in his opening match of the tournament after receiving a first-round bye.
“It was the final of a tour event, I wasn’t as nervous coming out,” Devvarman said of the difference between the two matches. “I also knew that it was the first match he was playing this week and I already had three under my belt. That’s always a good feeling to bring to the match.”
In a match that started late Tuesday night and ended well past midnight, del Potro lost the opening set of the match and his hard court season after dropping his serve at 3-all. He stormed back with his own break at 4-3 in the second and after breaking Lu to open the third, the 2008 champion finished off the long night by winning 16 of 18 service points. “I felt no pressure in defending the Legg Mason Tennis Classic title,” said del Potro, who improved to 35-10 on the year. “It’s just another match.”
After cruising in the first set, Haas went down 1-4 in the second before winning three straight games, but he left the door open by failing to convert on any of his five break point chances on Dancevic’s next service game. Dancevic held and then broke Haas to win the set.
“Next thing you know it’s the third set and it’s a battle,” Haas said. Anything can happen in the third set. I think he started to believe that maybe he could win. But somehow I hung in there, played some good points at the right time.” Haas broke serve at 3-all in the final set and closed out the match, one he was not aware that he was going to play until he awoke Tuesday morning.
Germany’s Benjamin Becker beat American Robby Ginepri 7-6 (3), 6-7 (1), 7-6 (4) to advance to the second round, where he will face top-seeded Andy Roddick. Roddick, a three-time Washington champion who hasn’t played since his loss to Roger Federer in the Wimbledon final, said Monday he’s recovered from the right hip flexor he sustained in the July 5 match.
“It’s going to be the first match for him of the hard court season,” said Becker, who lost both previous matches against Roddick. “It’s going to be a fun match for me. I am just going to try to do some damage.” In a matchup of former top-10 ranked players, former world No. 1 Juan Carlos Ferrero of Spain beat Nicolas Lapentti of Ecuador 6-4, 6-7 (5), 6-0, crediting the win to his ability to thwart eight break points.
Ferrero will face countryman and No. 7 seed Tommy Robredo in the second round. In other first-round matches, qualifier Sebastien De Chaunac of France defeated Uzbekistan’s Denis Istomin 6-3, 7-6 (7); and Germany’s Rainer Schuettler beat Leonardo Mayer of Argentina 6-1, 3-6, 7-6 (5).
Date Krumm loses, but enjoying comeback at 38
In Carson, Calif., Kimiko Date Krumm joked that she doesn’t ask the age of her opponents. Instead, she asks how old their mothers are, because she can better relate to that generation.
A case in point came Tuesday, when the 38-year-old Date Krumm lost to Sabine Lisicki of Germany, 7-6 (5), 2-6, 7-5, in the first round of the LA Women’s Tennis Championships at The Home Depot Center.
Lisicki, 19, was joined in the second round by No. 10 seed Li Na, No. 14 Jie Zheng and unseeded Daniela Hantuchova, among others, and of those winning Tuesday, Li, at 27, is the oldest.
Former champion Ana Ivanovic-the No. 6 seed-outlasted Vania King 6-4, 4-6, 6-1 and Vera Zvonareva beat Peng Shuai 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (6) in second-round matches.
Date Krumm made her professional debut on the WTA Tour six months before Lisicki was born in September, 1989. She won seven tour titles and about $2 million in prize money and was No. 8 in the rankings when she retired after the 1996 season to spend her time being Mrs. Michael Krumm.
Now she’s back on the tour, trying to rebuild her ranking in a sport that changed dramatically during her 12-year sabbatical, and she said she would like to play “maybe one or two more years, maybe three years, until my body is dead. Age is not important to me.”
“Maybe some people think it’s too crazy, but I’m enjoying a lot,” Date Krumm said of her comeback. “For me it’s not only for the ranking or always to win the tournament. It’s just to enjoy life. Before when I play, after losing it was like everything finished. Now I have more wide views.” Date Krumm’s German husband is a race car driver who constantly encouraged her to return to the game he knew she loved. She said she always rejected his suggestions and told herself tennis was not important anymore. She said her thinking changed early in 2008, however, when she began to train in preparation for an exhibition in Tokyo with Steffi Graf and Martina Navratilova, and afterward she began to play again.
