Game up for Somdev,India

The electric scoreboard flickered and went out at around the same time hope floated out of centre court on Wednesday evening.

The electric scoreboard flickered and went out at around the same time hope floated out of centre court on Wednesday evening. Somdev Devvarman had just lost the opening set in his match against fourth seed Janko Tipsarevic at the Chennai Open,and unlike the comeback the Indian had managed the previous day,this opponent didnt give the impression he would implode his way out of the tournament. He stepped up his game as the match went on,staying on the attack constantly even on Devvarmans service games reflected in the fact that the local favourite could hold his serve only once through the entire 6-2 6-1 drubbing he received.

His cheering section had turned up,as faithful as ever,but there were a few out there for Tipsarevic too,who,with his dark glasses and aggressive groundstrokes,has no trouble finding fans wherever he goes.

The match opened with five consecutive service breaks as both players took time to settle down,but once Tipsarevic held his serve to make it 4-2,there was no looking back for him. A lob to bring up set point and a drop shot to win it left Devvarman shaking his head and walking back to his chair to regroup for the second.

He held his serve in the opening game,but it was to be the only one he would win in the second set,and the rest of the match. He tried to open up the court and move in,but Tipsarevic was everywhere,and though the 38-ranked player played a few bizarre shots himself,they did him no harm as he closed in on the win. The final break came on the Indians serve in the seventh game,and an inside out forehand,followed by a roar from Tipsarevic,closed it out.

I couldnt hold serve,that was the main thing,but theres no doubt he played great, said Devvarman. I got no free points and Janko made me look silly there for a while. His positioning was excellent,more than the power of his strokes,thats what made the difference.

Cilic gets past Granollers

Earlier,Marcel Granollers had defending champion Marin Cilic in a tough spot,but the Croatian showed his top-20 class to take his place in the next round,winning 6-7 3 6-3 6-4. The Spaniard kept pace with the 21-year-old,even threatening to break his serve a few times,but not quite being able to do the finishing job. Second seed Cilic relied on his powerful groundstrokes to see himself through a breakpoint and out of a tricky situation in the sixth game,but Granollers kept the pressure on right till the tie-break. An unlucky moment for Cilic put the first set out of his reach,the ball clipping the net after a Granollers return and bouncing softly on the world No.14s side. Cilic worked himself out of a few dangerous situations in the second set too,but the tournament wasnt ready to lose its next big name just yet. He got the break he needed in the eighth game,and after holding his serve to make it a set all,he looked a new player. Granollers lost his opening service game of the decider,and Cilic needed no more on his way to victory.