Devvarman loses out in semis of ATP Challenger event

India’s Somdev Devvarman crashed out of the ATP Challenger event in Caltanissetta, Italy losing 6-1 6-3 to Serbian Dusan Lajovic in the semifinals. After an eye-catching performance last week at Roland Garros, where the Indian reached the 2^nd round and lost out to Roger Federer, Devvarman participated in the Challenger event in southern Italy.

Somdev began his campaign with a win over Eduardo Schwank in the first round as his opponent had to retire with Devvarman leading 6-3 4-1. In the pre-quarterfinals, Somdev faced a stiff test against world number 73 Leonardo Mayer, but came out on top by defeating the Argentine in straight sets 6-4 7-5. In the quarters, Somdev defeated higher-ranked world number 125 Federico Delbonis in three tough sets to set up a semifinal clash against Dusan Lajovic. However, the Indian could not maintain his momentum from the earlier rounds and lost to his Serbian opponent in straight sets.

The performance of the last two weeks in Roland Garros and the Challenger event would give a significant boost to Devvarman’s ranking. Somdev will gain 45 points for his 2^nd round appearance at the French Open along with 25 points for qualifying for the main draw. He will also get 40 ranking points for his semifinal appearance at Caltanissetta. Overall, Somdev would gain a total of 110 ranking points which could propel him to into the 130s, a 50-place jump in the ATP rankings and closer to the top 100.