Devvarman makes NCAA history

By Ed Burton
Published: May 24, 2008

TULSA, Okla. — UVa senior Somdev Devvarman became the first player to reach the NCAA singles semifinals in three straight years on Saturday, battling past Baylor sophomore Denes Lukacs, 6-0, 6-7 (2), 6-3.

The Hungary-born Lukacs began the match inauspiciously with a double fault. Devvarman, the defending NCAA champion, looked unbeatable as he soared to a 6-0 first set, surrendering only nine points and producing an ace at set point.

Lukacs won his first game of the match as he started off serving in the second set. At 1-1, Devvarman had four break points on Lukacs’ serve, but Lukacs fought his way back each time to eventually hold serve.

Devvarman survived four break points in game eight and knotted the score at 4-4. At 5-5, Devvarman broke Lukacs, but Lukacs broke right back to reach 6-6. Lukacs won the tiebreaker eaily, 7-2.

In the third set, Devvarman and Lukacs traded service holds to reach 2-2. Lukacs reached his high-water mark with a break point on Devvarman’s serve in the fifth game of the third set, but Devvarman held to go up 3-2. Devvarman broke Lukacs in game six with a pinpoint forehand passing shot out of Lukacs’ reach at the net.  Devvarman finished off the third set at 6-3.

Devvarman faces Stanford freshman Alex Clayton, the No. 8 seed, in the semifinals today at 1 p.m. Tennessee’s J.P. Smith, another freshman, faces Andre Begemann of Pepperdine in the other semifinal.