Devvarman deals Cilic shock defeat in Washington

 

Originally published on: 26/02/10 11:40

Somdev Devvarman posted the shock of the second round at the Legg Mason Tennis Classic with victory over No.6 seed Marin Cilic.

The Indian qualifier made the most of an error-strewn performance from the Croatian to post a 7-5 6-4 victory, his first over a player in the world’s top 20.

“It was the first match he was playing this week and I already had three under my belt” – Devvarman

“I knew that it was the first match he was playing this week and I already had three under my belt. That’s always a good feeling to bring to the match,” said Devvarman, who now faces either Rainer Schuettler or Ivo Karlovic in the third round.

Juan Martin del Potro avoided suffering a similar fate, recovering from a set down to beat Yen-Hsun Lu 4-6 6-3 6-2 in a match that ran past midnight on Tuesday.

The defending champion in Washington dropped the opening set after the Taiwanese secured a break in game seven, but after breaking at 4-3 in the second set the Argentine never looked back. A break in the opening game of the third set all but sealed the victory.

Del Potro now faces either Leyton Hewitt or Dudi Sela in the third round.

Elsewhere, Tomas Berdych beat Ernests Gulbis 6-2 7-6(6) to book his third-round spot, while Tommy Haas was pushed the distance by Frank Dancevic 6-1 4-6 6-4, and will now meet either Tommy Robredo or Juan Carlos Ferrero.

Robby Ginepri’s promising start to the US Open Series was dealt another blow with a second early exit in succession. Benjamin Becker edged the tightest of matches 7-6(3) 6-7(1) 7-6(4), and will now face top seed Andy Roddick, playing for the first time since last month’s Wimbledon final.

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