Somdev advances to second round of qualifiers
NEW YORK: Somdev Devvarman, India’s numerouno singles player, cleared the first hurdle in the US Open qualifying tournament with a straight set win over Fabiano De Paula, here.
Somdev, seeded sixth, defeated his Brazilian rival 6-4 6-3 in one hour and nine minutes in the the first round contest of the US Open qualifiers.
Somdev, ranked 113, broke Paula one time in the opening set while thrice in the second.
He will next face American Robby Ginepri, ranked 123 places below him at 236. NO ‘SUGAR’ FOR MARIA Maria Sharapova has decided not to officially change her name to ‘Sugarpova’ for the US Open despite giving the move a serious consideration, according to the tennis star’s agent.
According to metro.co.uk, Sharapova had asked Florida’s Supreme Court to consider a request to change her name to the name of her candy company on the understanding it would revert back to normal after the tournament. Sharapova’s agent Max Eisenbud said that they had ultimately decided against it, adding that the tennis star had pushed her team to do fun, out-of-the-box-type things to get the word out about Sugarpova. MARDY FISH WITHDRAWS Former top-10 player Mardy Fish pulled out of the US Open on Wednesday, the latest setback in his bid to make a comeback on tour after dealing with heart issues. The 31-yearold American cited “personal reasons” for his withdrawal. Fish tweeted: “Friends, unfortunately my health won’t allow me to compete this year at the US Open. Thank you for all your support.”