Bringing home the point

A set down,a break down,with defeat probably a game away,Kevin Kim decided it was time to get fancy.

A set down,a break down,with defeat probably a game away,Kevin Kim decided it was time to get fancy. He couldnt have won the point,but an attempted football-style scissor kick in a desperate bid to return the ball to Somdev Devvarmans side of the court actually worked,and the slightly disbelieving round of applause that followed his last-minute heroics was the Americans 15 seconds of fame.

The rest of the evening,though,belonged to the tall 23-year-old from Tripura who refers to Chennai as home. He ran into a spot of trouble early on,but that break proved to be a mere statistic as he raced away to a 6-3,6-3 victory. The Indian staged a quick recovery after the early hiccup,cheered on by an appreciative Chennai crowd that included his family,childhood friends and a large number of fans,old and new.

The first break of the match came in the fifth game,in favour of Kim,but the 30-year-old was not allowed to consolidate that advantage,his Indian opponent sending down a smash to his side of the court to signal his intentions. Somdev went a step further in the next couple of games,breaking the 114-ranked player and holding his own as he won the first set 6-3.

The second set was set on its way to a conclusion much sooner,and the double NCAA champion got the break he was looking for in the third game. Somdev preferred to go the down-the-line route,sending a few perfectly placed shots on both flanks,and there was little Kim could do but watch. The Indian stayed a step ahead all through the second set,and underlined his dominance at the end,breaking Kim as he served to stay in the match to complete his victory.

Its the first time Ive played well in front of an Indian audience,and its a home crowd for me,I got a great reception. I think I played all right,I was positive,but Im happiest about the fact that I could find a way to come out with a win. It wasnt that easy,he had a ton of chances,particularly in the second set, said Somdev. Ive been watching these players play at the Chennai Open while growing up here,and I used to dream of playing out on centre court one day,but to actually do that gives me goosebumps.

Ironically,one of those heroes Somdev watched in action years ago was Carlos Moya,who just happens to be his next opponent. Moya defeated qualifier Danai Udumchoke of Thailand 6-3,7-6.

Bopanna out

Perhaps Rohan Bopanna will go over a particular sequence of points again and again in his mind the wildly awry serve he hit into the adjoining courts stands for a double fault,the lob from Denis Istomin which he failed to control,and the final backhand from his Uzbek opponent that put an end to his brief fightback. The Indian,leading by a break in the second set,had the perfect chance to make it a set all in his first main draw match at the Chennai Open,but gave away that advantage with far too many errors a running theme through his match on Tuesday.

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Bopanna,who had an impressive run in the qualifiers couldnt extend his heroics into a fourth day as Istomin defeated his familiar opponent 6-4,7-6 3. I had a set point in the second set,and maybe if a third set had come around,the momentum would have been in my favour. At the end of the second,my legs were a bit heavy and I was feeling a bit tired,but I cant give that as a reason for losing, Bopanna said after his match.

Istomins first serve percentage was 71 per cent for the entire match,while Bopanna8217;s was much lower at 53 per cent. The Indian managed a higher ace count 9 against Istomin8217;s 3 but while the latter8217;s were hit at crucial points to get him out of trouble,Bopanna8217;s didn8217;t quite serve the same purpose.