DIVIJ WANTS PLACE IN TOP 50
Divij Sharan lost in the men’s doubles third round of the US Open but considered it his best performance so far. The Delhi player entered the prequarter-finals along with new partner Yen-Hsun Lu of Chinese Taipei before going down to Aisam-ul Haq Qureshi and Jean-Julien Rojer. Divij and Lu lost 6-7 (6), 6-3, 3-6 to the fifth seeded PakDutch combination on Monday night.
“I went into the tournament with no expectations... just wanted to go out there and enjoy my tennis,” Divij told this paper from New York on Tuesday.
“Considering this was my second Grand Slam appear- ance, making the third round has definitely been my best performance at this level so far,” said the 27-year-old.
Talking about the third round match, Divij said, “I went into the match keeping in mind a few things about our opponents, but primarily wanted to go out there and play to our strengths.”
Divij now wants to consolidate on his good show at the US Open in upcoming tournaments. The left-handed Delhi boy and Lu tasted success against some good combinations in the ongoing event, including a win against the experienced Israeli pair of Andy Ram and Jonathan Erlich.
“All the matches we played were against some good teams and we played some great tennis. Even though we lost in the pre-quarters, play- ing here gave me a lot of confidence to do better in future,” said the Davis Cupper.
He was all praise for Lu, with whom he paired up for the first time.
“It’s been a great experience playing with Lu. He plays really well from the baseline and I took charge at the net, so we complimented each other well.”
Asked whether he would leave his regular partner Purav Raja, with whom he made his Grand Slam debut at the Wimbledon this year, he clarified, “Our combined ranking was not good enough to make the cut at the US Open. So I decide to partner Lu at the last moment. I will continue playing with Purav from next week.” Divij, whose doubles ranking is 66, is aiming to break into the top 50 this year.
“My next target would be to get inside the top 50 so that I can get entry into more ATP Tour events and get assured of a spot in all the Grand Slams.”
He will play tournaments in Luxembourg, France and Russia in the coming weeks.