Somdev Devvarman

Infobox Tennis player
playername = Somdev Devvarman


nickname = Buji, Dev
country = IND
residence = Chennai, India
datebirth = birth date and age|1985|02|13
placebirth = Guwahati, Assam, India
height = height|m=1.80
weight = convert|72|kg|lb st|abbr=on|lk=on
turnedpro = 2008
retired =
plays = Right-handed; double-handed backhand
careerprizemoney = $46,400
singlesrecord = 2–5
singlestitles = 0
highestsinglesranking = 239 (August 18, 2008)
AustralianOpenresult = -
FrenchOpenresult = -
Wimbledonresult = -
USOpenresult = -
doublesrecord = 0–2
doublestitles = 0
highestdoublesranking = 787 (July 14, 2008)
updated = Augsut 25, 2008

Somdev Devvarman (also known as Somdev Dev Varman) is the reigning and two-time NCAA Men's Singles Champion. As a recent graduate out of the University of Virginia who hails from India, Somdev is best known for having captured the 2007 NCAA Singles Championship by defeating Georgia Bulldogs senior John Isner in the final. In one of the most dramatic finals in the 123-year history of the tournament, Devvarman scored a 7–6 (7), 4–6, 7–6 (2) win over the tournament's No. 1 seed. A year later, he defeated Tennessee's J.P. Smith 6–3, 6–2 to take home his second consecutive NCAA Singles National Championship. It was his historic third consecutive appearance in the NCAA singles final.

Amateur Results

Devvarman's achievements place him as arguably the greatest player in college tennis history. He finished both 2007 and 2008 as the top-ranked player in the NCAA, compiling an unprecedented 44-1 record in the latter year. Three of Devvarman's college conquests--John Isner, Kevin Anderson and Jesse Levine--have gone on to enjoy successful pro careers.

Professional Results

After graduating from UVa, Devvarman signed with Mamba International (www.mamba-international.com), a sports management company based in Charlottesville, and officially started his professional career at the $10,000 Futures tourney in Rochester, NY where he won the singles title. He and his former UVa partner, Treat Huey, won the doubles title. The next week at another $10,000 Futures tourney in Pittsburgh, Devvarman and Huey won the doubles title and Devvarman repeated in singles.

Devvarman made the final of the Kennedy Funding Invitational in New York in July 2007. In a clay-court non-tour event which featured several players ranked within the ATP top-150, Devvarman defeated Ricardo Mello, Robert Kendrick (ranked 99th) and Justin Gimelstob before losing a tight three-set match to no. 69 Michael Russell in the final. He returned and won the tournament in 2008 beating Sam Querrey, ranked #44, and Dudi Sela, ranked #76 along the way.

On July 27, 2008, Devvarman won the Lexington Challenger, first coming through qualifying and then beating players including Bobby Reynolds (ranked 90th), Xavier Malisse and Robert Kendrick to take the title. He received automatic entry into the Vancouver Open starting July 28th and made it through to the quarterfinal before Go Soeda handed him his first professional defeat.

In August 2008 Devvarman made the quarterfinal of the Legg Mason Tennis Classic, first beating Sam Warburg, Jamie Baker and Go Soeda to qualify and then dispatching Taylor Dent and Robert Kendrick in the main draw before falling to Russian Igor Kunitsyn.

As of September 8, 2008, Devvarman lost to world no. 18 Nicolas Almagro after winning the first set in the first round of the BCR Bucharest Open, having beaten 93rd-ranked Italian Filippo Volandri in the final round of qualifying.

ingles titles (5)

External links

* 1. ATP|id=D616
* 2. [http://www.theculturalconnect.com/new/2007/06/24/tennis-champ-somdev-devvarman-desi/ "2007 NCAA Men's Tennis Champ": Interview by Ranjit Souri in "The desiConnect"]
* 3. [http://www.telegraphindia.com/1070202/asp/guwahati/story_7338153.asp "Assam's Loss, India's Gain" in "The Telegraph" on February, 02, 2007]