India No. 1 Somdev Devvarman’s poor singles form continued for the second consecutive year in the country’s only premier event — The Chennai Open. After bowing out in straight sets in a second-round loss to Janko Tipsarevic last year, the Commonwealth Games champion and world No. 106 suffered an embarrassing 2-6, 4-6 drubbing at the hands of little-known Belgian qualifier David Goffin (world No. 229) on Tuesday.
Though disappointed, Somdev tried his best to put on a brave face post-thrashing. But his frustrations were as clear as daylight. Not that he could have done anything better to stop the rampaging Goffin, Somdev would have hoped for a better start in the match. But the 20-year-old Goffin had other ideas as he broke Somdev’s first two games and raced away to a 4-0 lead in no time. “Goffin played extremely well today and it was a well-deserved win for him. He came out firing in the opener and that certainly unsettled me,” said a dejected Somdev.
On the other hand, Goffin brought the house down with a magnificent performance. Possessing lethal forehand and a smartly disguised drop shot, the Belgian was making Somdev stretch on most occasions. “I would reckon this as one of my biggest wins. I was excited to play a good opponent such as Somdev and I knew the crowd would be backing him but I had nothing to lose. I did not try too hard and just stuck to my natural game.”
The good-looking foreigner said he was surprised by the support he received even though he was playing the local favourite. “The crowd tonight was amazing. I was a bit taken aback when they started chanting my name. I am thrilled with the support and hope it continues,” said Goffin. “I thought most of the shots I tried tonight came out well. The drop shot, in particular, was one of the key elements against Somdev.”
Goffin, who meets world No.21 and last year’s runner-up Stanislas Wawrinka of Switzerland in the next round, exuded confidence. “I would go out and enjoy myself. He (Wawrinka) has been playing good and I look forward to a great challenge,” he added.
Somdev, meanwhile, has a week to assess the shortcomings before he heads Down Under to play the qualifiers at the Australian Open. His usual mixture of flamboyance and flair was missing, the shoulders drooping, Somdev did not resemble his usual self. He would do well to get back into the groove quickly if he aims to qualify into the main draw of the Oz championship.
Meanwhile, it turned out to be a ‘terror Tuesday’ for the hosts as the other two other Indians in the singles’ fray — Yuki Bhambri and Rohan Bopanna — were also shown the door after losing to Russian Alexandre Kudryavstev and Wawrinka respectively.