Ultimately it came down to a make or break tie-breaker in the third set. Cometh the hour cometh the man. Somdev Devvarman showed he had a lot of nerve to go into the business.

“Once he won the tie-breaker I knew he was going to pull it off,” national selector and former Davis Cup coach Akhtar Ali told The Indian Express. In fact, Ali was perhaps the only person who favoured India to win the World Group play-off tie against South Africa even after Leander Paes pulled out due to hand injury.

“My observation was based on two factors. I was confident that Somdev would win both his singles matches and I backed our doubles team to win, because (Rohan) Bopanna is a good doubles player. Going 2-0 up on Day One was a bonus, but then there was Bhupathi’s injury hiccup in doubles which put the onus back on Somdev. In the reverse singles, Somdev was somewhat rattled by Rik de Voest’s chip-and-charge tactics in the first two sets. But to his credit he hung on. Ultimately his perseverance and better fitness saw him through,” Ali opined.

The legendary coach believes that Somdev will break into top hundred by the year end. “This is his first year as a professional and he has improved by leaps and bounds. I coached him during his formative years. After he lost the final of the Chennai Open I had a talk with him regarding his second serve and baseline game. He has made the necessary correction. I would be surprised if he doesn’t make it into top hundred by the year end,” said Ali.

... contd.