Press Trust of India
New Delhi, Feb 22: Somdev Devvarman fought back after being a set down to beat Yuki Bhambri and claim his second Delhi Open title, here Sunday. Yuki won the first set and was leading 2-0 in the second, when Somdev brought his ‘A-game’ to the fore and sealed the set 6-4. He then shifted gear and blanked Yuki 6-0 in the deciding set, thus registering a 3-6, 6-4, 6-0 win over his Indian compatriot.
With this victory, Somdev ended a long title-less run, which began after winning this title last year. “Maybe this is the turning point for me,” a relieved Somdev said after his win. “So far save Delhi, it has been an average season for me. It was disappointing because I had worked very hard, I aim to build on this win,” he stated to the media.
The two players stuck to the baseline for most part of the match and it was Somdev’s defence against Yuki’s attack. However, Yuki lost ground after being broken in the third game of the second set and couldn’t recover from there on.
“I have never been in a situation like this before. I let my service games go and paid a price for that. I was prepared for an onslaught from Som but let the moment get the better of me,” Yuki said after the match.
Yuki had beaten three top-150 players in the tournament but fluffed his lines in the final hurdle thanks to a series of unforced errors. “Normally you end up winning the title if you do that. But making the final itself feels good and I know that there is room for improvement in my game,” Yuki said.
