Tennis News -
At the Kennedy Funding Invitational, New City, NY

[QF] Somdev Devvarman (IND,661) bt (4) Robert Kendrick (USA,120) 76(5) 75
[SF] Somdev Devvarman (IND,661) vs (1) Sam Querrey (USA,44)

Last year he defeated Kendrick in 3 sets but this time he defeated in closely fought 2 sets ... But now big challenge against talented top-50 Sam Querrey in the semis.

Somdev Devvarman - "Every win gives you confidence. I'd like to start playing a little better right now but I'm going to take it one match at a time. I'm glad I got to this point and I'm looking forward to a good match tomorrow."

Detail reporting by lohud.com -
It says a lot about Robert Kendrick's serves that even agile Somdev Devvarman couldn't return many of them. That he returned just enough says something about Devvarman.

The 23-year old Indian rookie broke Kendrick's monster serve in a marathon 11th game of their second set, effectively clinching a quarterfinal victory yesterday. It was a tour-de-force showing by the newly minted professional, who was making a repeat appearance at the Kennedy Funding Invitational.

If his battle with the 6-3, 190-pound Kendrick is any indication, rising star Devvarman should give him a challenge. Devvarman won the first set on a tiebreaker, 7-6 (5). Yet that tiebreak wasn't to be his most challenging sequence. The two men traded games in the second set. Kendrick piled up points quickly when he had serve. Devvarman won his serves, too, but usually through attrition.

"He was serving big on break points, and I felt I didn't take a couple chances I should have taken earlier," he said. "I was lucky to get back in the game. That does not happen very often."

With the second set tied 5-5 and Kendrick serving, the two fought desperately back and forth. Both knew how critical that 11th game was. After five deuces and 18 points, Devvarman prevailed.

"Good game," said Kendrick, before launching a ball over the fence and a neighboring swimming pool. He went down without a point in the following game, giving Devvarman a 7-5 win.