Zhang injury carries Somdev into semifinal
NEW DELHI: Ze Zhang did not see it coming. The ace startled him, and then, resignation set in. Walking to his chair, he told the chair umpire he couldn’t continue. Somdev Devvarman had waltzed into the semifinals of the ONGC-GAIL Delhi Open on Friday.
“I didn’t know he was injured,” said the world No 96 after his win. The Chinese world No 229 retired with a right shoulder injury after losing the first set 2-6 on the DLTA centre court. “Zhang has a dangerous serve and booming forehand which can be tricky. It’s also dangerous playing an injured player because you don’t know what he’ll come up with to win.”
Somdev was right. Trailing 0-5, Zhang took a medical time out to treat the troublesome shoulder. Cruising at that stage, everyone expected Somdev to close out the set in the next game. However, they had to wait till the eighth. Zheng came back to take the sixth game, breaking Somdev and held serve in the next.
Somdev runs into old foe Evgeny Donskoy in the last-four stage. If he can overcome the Russian’s challenge, whom he had lost to the previous week in Kolkata, the 29-year-old will make the singles final of any tournament since 2011.
SAKETH-SANAM IN FINAL Saketh Myneni and Sanam Singh reached the doubles final with a straight-sets victory over fourth seeds Aleksandr Nedovyesov and Adrian Menendez-Maceiras. The wildcards needed only 51 minutes to make their second consecutive Challenger final after a 6-3, 6-2 win. They will play Thai twins Sanchai and Sonchat Ratiwatana, the second seeds, who beat Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan and Vishnu Vardhan 3-6, 6-3, 10-7.
ANKITA OUSTED
Ankita Raina, the only Indian to have got a direct berth in the $25,000 ITF event, lost to the third seeded Yuliya Beygelzimer of Ukraine. The Indian lost 3-6, 5-7 in the quarters on Friday after upsetting fifth seed Noppawan Lertcheewakaran of Thailand. “I had my chances, I should have been more patient,” lamented Ankita, who now heads to Egypt for a tournament.