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Somdev Devvarman put on a brilliant show of resilience as he carved his way into the second round of the Open 13 in Marseille. Benoit Paire, ranked 39 and playing at home, turned the perfect foil to the warrior-like instincts of the embattled Indian. The Assamese star may have slipped to 354th in the rankings courtesy of injuries, but that hasn’t blunted the edge for this warrior. In a wildly swinging encounter, the gritty Indian demonstrated his die-hard spirit before clinching an intensely entertaining 7-6(6), 6-7(7), 6-4 victory in two hours and 39 minutes.
Somdev held to love in the fourth game and followed through with a couple of crisp forehand strokes to bring up the first break point of the match, but Paire was alert to the danger. Three games later, it was Somdev who had to step up to the plate to save a break point and prevent Paire from serving for the set. Eventually the set slipped into a tie-breaker. Somdev lost three of his first four service points as Paire raced away to a commanding 6-2 lead. However, in a remarkable stretch of play, the 28-year old Indian pulled off a stunning sequence of six straight points to save four set points before converting his first opportunity to snag the set from the distraught Frenchman.
Riding on the tide, Somdev broke Paire in the second game of the next set as he galloped to within three games of victory. The world no. 39 though played with a renewed sense of urgency to win the next three games and claw back to 3-3. And even though Somdev was constantly pushed to the ring, he kept his head to save three other break points in the seventh and eleventh games to force a second breaker. In an almost mirror like image of the first set, this time it was the turn of Somdev to gain a 6-3 lead with a single mini-break. Remarkably, Paire saved all three match points and took his second set point to draw even and force a decisive third set.
The intensity must have gotten the better of the players – as the final set turned into a battle of attrition. There were as many as 14 break points in an erratic set that included an exchange of breaks, as the players remained tied at 4-4 in the third set. Having just lost serve, Somdev turned the tables immediately to bring up two more break points in the ninth game. Paire saved the first, but Somdev converted the other to find himself serving for the match. There was already an overdose of drama, and Somdev spared the sparse collection of fans any further heartburn by serving with ease to clinch the match at his first opportunity.
It was Somdev’s fourth victory this year, and the second since that five set loss to Jerzy Janowicz in the second round of the Australian Open. The Indian, who was sidelined for much of last year, will next take on the irrepressible Bernard Tomic, who is working hard to prevent squandering an impressive start to the year. The 28-year old enjoyed his career best ranking of 62 in July 2011, but has been unlucky since then to be sidelined from action even as his ranking went plumbing the depths of distress. However, his impressive performance against Janowicz in Melbourne, victory over Jurgen Melzer in Zagreb and this one against Paire indicate that the Indian is well and truly on his way back to claim his rightful place on the ATP World Tour.
