Devvarman takes championship
By Jerry Ratcliffe / jratcliffe@dailyprogress.com | 978-7251
May 29, 2007

ATHENS, Ga. - Perhaps it was only natural that a few negative thoughts ran through Somdev Devvarman’s mind prior to Monday evening’s NCAA Singles Championship.

Devvarman, who lost in last year’s national title match as a sophomore, said that memory crept into his mind before he took the court to face this year’s No. 1 seed, John Isner of Georgia. But once the match started it was all about competing.

The Virginia junior dismissed any thoughts of losing, went to work and treated a partisan home Georgia crowd to one of the most dramatic singles title matches in the event’s 123-year history.

Devvarman defeated Isner for the second time in a week, this time topping the Bulldogs’ all-time career wins leader, 7-6 (7), 4-6, 7-6 (2).

Devvarman not only became the first Cavalier to win a national tennis title, but was also the first ACC player to capture the crown.

“I am truly happy to be where I am right now,” Devvarman said. “I’m so grateful for the opportunity I’ve been given.”

Remarkably, neither player double-faulted in the match, and there was only one service break, that coming in the second set when Isner took a 4-3 lead en route to his only set victory.

“I just realized I won a match and did not break serve one single time,” an elated Devvarman said after winning his 16th consecutive match of the season and a UVa season-record 44th singles triumph.

“I don’t think I’ve done that one, single time ever.”

Devvarman had never beaten Isner until last week’s team competition, when he scored the upset over Georgia’s best player. Doing it twice within a week’s span was even more impressive, and the Cavalier said the previous win built his confidence that he could repeat.

But it wasn’t without a fight. Isner came armed with perhaps the best serve in college tennis and gained 39 of his 80 points over the three sets with that booming service.

The Bulldog senior scored 23 aces and added 16 service winners against Devvarman who was on the defensive all night.

“I think his serve is a great, great, great serve and it’s going to take him a long way in his pro career for sure,” Devvarman said.

It was somewhat ironic that Devvarman closed out the championship with his own ace, one of a handful that he scored during the evening.

The first set was close all the way, leading to a tie-breaker that Devvarman won, 9-7, as each player battled royally for every point.

Isner came back strong in the second set when his serve was most evident, pulling away after he broke Devvarman at 4-3.

Up 5-4 in the second, Isner took advantage of three consecutive aces, two of them disputed by Devvarman, to tie the match at one set apiece.

The Cavalier argued that two of the serves were wide but didn’t let it rattle him heading into the third set.

With neither player willing to give in the third, it appeared the match would come down to yet another tie-breaker, which it did, with Devvarman taking control early, holding a 5-1 advantage before closing it out 7-2 on an ace.

The Virginia star, a native of Chennai, India, jumped skyward and let out a scream, pumping his fist toward the heavens.

“I knew this match would be a coin flip,” Isner said upon ending his collegiate career.

“I played exceptionally well, but Somdev was just a little bit better. I served well and didn’t get broken the whole match. Usually when you do that, you don’t lose.”

 

Defending champions coming to Davenport
Oregon State in Virginia's draw
By Jay Jenkins / jjenkins@dailyprogress.com | 978-7250
May 29, 2007

Sean Doolittle’s mind started racing.

The junior was instantly intrigued on Monday to see that Virginia could be paired in a super regional with Vanderbilt, a program that boasts pitcher David Price, one of Doolittle’s best friends.

Doolittle, knowing better, quickly dismissed the thought. Virginia, he knows, must win a regional before top-ranked Vanderbilt (51-11) becomes a focal point.

After learning Sunday that they would host the Charlottesville Regional this weekend, the Cavaliers discovered the opponents Monday. Virginia (43-14) will be joined by second-seeded Rutgers, third-seeded Oregon State and fourth-seeded Lafayette.

Virginia is scheduled to play Lafayette (33-18) on Friday at 4 p.m. Rutgers (41-19) and Oregon State (38-17), the defending national champion, will follow at 8 p.m. at Davenport Field. The winners and losers will meet on Saturday at 1 p.m. and 6 p.m.

The winner of the Charlottesville Regional will advance to face the winner of the Nashville (Tenn.) Regional, which includes Vanderbilt, Michigan, Memphis and Austin Peay.

“Vanderbilt immediately came across my mind, but we are going to be thinking about Lafayette for the next four days,” Doolittle said. “We would be making a mistake if we look down the road.”

Virginia coach Brian O’Connor agreed completely.

“We need to worry about how we perform in a regional,” the skipper said. “If we can win a regional, that’s a great accomplishment. We have never done that.

“Let’s worry about that before we talk about who we would play next.”

As for his regional, O’Connor said Virginia’s fans are in for a treat. Rutgers won the Big East Tournament and Oregon State enjoyed a Cinderella run to the national championship last year.

“For our fans it should be exciting knowing that the defending national champion will be here,” O’Connor said. “Oregon State knows how to get to Omaha, and Rutgers has a great program. You don’t win the Big East unless you are.”

Many of Virginia’s players were shocked that Oregon State was seeded third. The Beavers, however, stumbled at the end of the season, losing eight of their last 12 games and the finished 10-14 in the Pac-10.

“If we get to see them, we will have to match their intensity,” Doolittle said. “Maybe they will have a chip on their shoulder being the defending champion and a 3-seed.”

While he was still gathering information on Lafayette, which is located in Easton, Pa., O’Connor already knew about its team speed - five players have stolen at least 13 bases this season.

“One of their guys is among the leaders in the country in stolen bases,” said O’Connor, referring to senior outfielder James Conrad’s 48 swipes in 52 attempts. “That gets your attention.”

Doolittle had less knowledge about Lafayette. In fact, he was unable to peg the team’s mascot, a rarity for Doolittle.

“I know they’re a cat,” Doolittle proclaimed before being told they were the Leopards. “I originally said: ‘Panthers.’ I guess they went for the alliteration. That’s corny.”

Going with a southpaw

O’Connor said he remained uncertain on his starting pitcher for the regional opener.

He had, however, narrowed it down to senior Casey Lambert and Doolittle.

“I am not sure which direction I will go,” O’Connor said.

Jacob Thompson, the team’s ace, will start on Saturday.

Talking tickets

General admission tickets will be on sale this week at the Virginia Athletics Ticket Office.

The ticket books are $40 and include admission to every contest.

UVa officials also announced that they would be charging for parking for the first time. The fee will be $5 for a day or $10 for a parking pass for the entire weekend.

 

Somdev Devvarman Wins NCAA Singles Championship
Cavalier junior becomes first ACC men's tennis player to win an NCAA Individual Title
May 28, 2007

ATHENS, Ga. - Cavalier junior Somdev Devvarman (Chennai, India) became the first men's tennis player in ACC history to win an NCAA Singles Championship, downing Georgia's John Isner in the final Monday night at the Dan Magill Tennis Complex. In one of the most dramatic finals in the 123-year history of the tournament, Devvarman scored a 7-6 (7), 4-6, 7-6 (2) win over the tournament's No. 1 seed.

"This championship feels so great," Devvarman said. "It is a sign of the payoff of a lot of hard work. There are so many people I need to thank; my coaches, strength coaches, teammates, really everyone in the Virginia tennis community. I couldn't have done this without their support."

The first set was indicative of how close the match would be. Both second-seeded Devvarman and top-seeded Isner held in each of their six service games, with neither losing any more than two points in any game. With the first set on the line, Devvarman opened up an early 3-1 lead in the tiebreaker. Isner rallied to draw even, tying the breaker at 4-4. Devvarman won the next two points, to earn two set points. However, Isner would win the next three points to take a 7-6 lead and earn his own set point. Devvarman won the next two points on his serve to take an 8-7 lead for his third set point. Up 8-7, Devvarman took advantage of a second serve from Isner and hit a return winner past the Bulldog to take the opening set.

The second set began much like the first, with neither player in danger of losing his serve in the first six games. Serving at 3-3, Devvarman was broken by Isner, who took advantage of the first break point of the match to go up 4-3. The players held serve for the remainder of the set, as Isner forced a third and deciding set by taking the second, 6-4.

The final set featured more of the same from both players, as neither player could even force a deuce on the other's serve. With the final set tied at 6-6, the national championship came down to a tiebreaker. At 1-1 in the tiebreaker, Devvarman made a difficult return of a big Isner serve that caught the Georgia player off guard as he returned it into the net. Devvarman used that momentum to win the next three points, to take a 5-1 lead at the changeover. After an Isner ace brought him to 5-2, Devvarman won the following point to give him four championship points at 6-2. On the first of those points, as he hit an ace up the middle to close out the 7-6 (7), 4-6, 7-6 (2) win.

"John and I have played so many times and they have all been battles," Devvarman said. "I have so much respect for him, both his game and as a person. I know he will have a lot of success on the pro circuit. This was as close as it gets. I didn't break him and he only broke me once. I was just able to make the plays in the tiebreakers."

Isner, who led the Bulldogs to an undefeated season and the 2007 NCAA Championship, ends his career as Georgia's all-time career wins leader.

"I knew coming in that this match would be a coin-flip," said Isner. "I thought I played exceptionally well tonight but Somdev played just a little better. I will always remember this match even though I lost it. I played my heart out tonight. I didn't get broken the whole match and usually when that happens, I win those matches. I have to give credit to Somdev because he really played a great match. I knew no matter what happened at the beginning of the tournament that I was going to end my career in Athens. Although I lost, I couldn't ask for anything more. I hope everyone enjoyed this as much as I did. This whole tournament was pretty special."

After falling to UCLA's Benjamin Kohlloeffel in last year's final, Devvarman became the first player to reach the final in consecutive years since Georgia's Matias Boeker won the 2001 and 2002 singles titles.

"After coming so close last year makes this championship so sweet," Devvarman said. "Last year, the draw opened up for me and I was able to take advantage. But it helped me realize that I could play with any college player. I went out and worked that much harder, and this season, the draw was much tougher, but I was able to elevate my game."

"I am so proud of Somdev," head coach Brian Boland said. "This was certainly one of the greatest championship matches in NCAA history. It is a shame that one of those players had to lose. They are both great competitors and great people. They are what college tennis is all about."

The win was Devvarman's 44th singles win of the season, extending his school record for wins in a season. The victory was also his career-high 16th consecutive win.

"It is amazing accomplishment," Boland said. "You look at the factors; playing at Georgia, it being John's final college match, playing the No. 1 seed. Somdev handled it so well. He embraced the crowd. He embraced the moment. He had fun out there and I think that allowed him to play at a higher level. He has really raised his game, not only over the past three years, but even in the last six months."

Devvarman is one of ten players on this season's Cavalier team with eligibility remaining for next year. This season, the Cavaliers went 30-4, reached the NCAA semifinals for the first time in school history and finished the year with a school record No. 2 final ranking.

 

Devvarman reigns supreme
U.Va. standout becomes first men's singles champ from any school in ACC
Tuesday, May 29, 2007 - 12:00 AM Updated: 12:46 AM
FROM STAFF REPORTS

Somdev Devvarman is the king of college tennis.

Devvarman, who recently completed his junior year at the University of Virginia, last night defeated Georgia's John Isner 7-6 (9-7), 4-6, 7-6 (7-2) to win the NCAA men's singles title.

He's the first individual NCAA champion in men's tennis from any ACC school.

Devvarman was the NCAA runner-up in 2006, losing to UCLA's Benjamin Kohlloeffel in the championship match. U.Va.'s Brian Vahaly was the NCAA singles runner-up in 2001.

Isner was playing on his home court, the Dan Magill Tennis Complex in Athens, Ga., but that didn't faze Devvarman last night. In the first set, Isner led the tiebreaker 7-6, but Devvarman rallied to win the next three points to take the set.

In the third set, each player held serve through 12 games, forcing another tiebreaker. Devvarman, the tourney's No. 2 seed, lost the first point. He stormed back to win the next five.

Devvarman closed the match in fitting fashion, with an ace.

Devvarman, 22, is from Chennai, India. He finished the season with 44 singles victories, and he now has 12 career singles wins in the NCAA tourney. Both are U.Va. records.

Heading into the NCAA team championships, Devvarman was 0-2 against Isner this season. But he whipped his rival 6-4, 6-4 in the NCAA team semifinals -- U.Va.'s only victory in a 4-1 loss to Georgia -- and then triumphed on the college game's biggest stage last night.