The only tennis balls Somdev Devvarman got to hit on centre court on Saturday were sent soaring all the way into the packed stands at the Nungambakkam Stadium, sending different sections of the crowd scrambling for a precious autographed memento from their new hero. And despite such unusually blatant inaccuracy for the 23-year-old from Tripura, his Chennai Open fairytale continues.

The beneficiary of Rainer Schuettler’s suddenly injured left wrist, Somdev didn’t have to do much on Saturday after his semi-final opponent’s withdrawal, but he did turn up on court to have a few words with his supporters, attempting to deal with the disappointment of not watching their boy play his semi-final.

The trickle of tennis followers began a little before the first match of the day between third seed Marin Cilic and eighth seed Marcel Granollers, but for those watching, that one was simply an order of business to be dealt with before the primetime show — Somdev Devvarman v Rainer Schuettler. Unfortunately, as the sunlight dimmed and the lights came on, anticipating the real thing, the entire evening took on a rather anti-climactic air as news of the German’s withdrawal made its way around.

“During yesterday’s doubles match, I started feeling pain in my left wrist. As I warmed up for the semi-final, I wasn’t able to hit a double-handed backhand. I felt a strong pain. I would only be able to slice and I’m also afraid the injury may get worse. I had the same a few years ago but it wasn’t as bad as now.

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