Devvarman keeps marching, headed for final

By Ed Burton Daily Progress correspondent
Published: May 25, 2008

Somdev Devvarman reached the NCAA Championship finals for the third year in a row by defeating Stanford freshman Alex Clayton, 6-5, 7-6 (3) on Sunday.
“Last year I had a really tough three-set match in the semifinals against [Illinois’] Kevin Anderson,” said Devvarman in a press release. “It was also very hot, and I am glad to be done in two today.
The final between Devvarman and Tennessee freshman J.P. Smith will be held at 5 p.m. Monday at the University of Tulsa. Smith, a 6-foot-3 Australian lefty, has made his way unseeded through the singles draw. Smith’s advancement creates an interesting matchup with Devvarman because Smith is a serve-and-volley specialist — one of the few in the college ranks.
Devvarman’s win over Clayton didn’t come easy. Devvarman’s serve continues to be the talk of the tournament. Known primarily as a baseliner, Devvarman delivered 18 aces en route to his victory over Clayton. He served 34 times in the second set and Clayton only managed to return 17 of them.
In the first set, Devvarman and Clayton traded service breaks to reach 3-3. Devvarman pulled off a lob winner from deep behind his own baseline to reach break point. Devvarman won the breaker and served out the set 6-4. In the second set, Devvarman broke Clayton’s serve in the opening game, but Clayton rallied back to break Devvarman in game four to even the set at 2-2.
The two players traded serves until they reached 6-6. Devvarman weathered the pressure of the tiebreaker, producing three aces in his last three serves including the point that won the match.
The victory over Clayton was Devvarman’s 35th win in a row with a season record of 43-1. The win also set an NCAA record of 17 for wins in an NCAA Singles title competition.
“Every time I step on the court I don’t think about my streak, I don’t think about what record is on the line, I just think about who I am playing and how I can find a way to beat them,” Devvarman said. “I think that is why I have done pretty well this season, and I have my last college match tomorrow. I am going to come out with the same attitude and leave it all on the court.”
Amanda McDowell of Georgia Tech will play Zuzana Zemenova of Baylor at 3 p.m. Monday for the NCAA Womens individual title.