Somdev in ATP Challenger Tennis quarters

Somdev Devvarman romped into the quarter-finals but Yuki Bhambri's campaign came to an end on a mixed day for Indian players at the $50,000 State Bank of India ATP Challenger Tour tennis tournament here Wednesday.

Devvarman carved out a straight set 6-3 6-3 victory over Russian A Kudryavtsev, while Bhambri lost to third seeded Russian Evgeny Donskoy 3-6 4-6 in pre-quarter final matches on the Bengal Tennis Association court.

Devvarman broke Kudryavtsev in the fourth game of the first set to take it 6-3. In the second, Kudryavtsev was broken twice - in the third and ninth games - as Devvarman advanced to the last eight where he would face Adrian Menendez Maceiras of Spain.

The Spaniard drowned seventh seeded Radu Albot of Moldova 6-4 7-6 (3).

ATP Challenger Tour Chennai champion Bhambri was shown the door by Donskoy in a 81-minute match. Bhambri was broken in the fourth game of the opening set, as Donskoy opened up a 4-1 lead, and eventually grabbed it 6-3. In the second, Donskoy broke the Indian in the very first game, but could not hold on to the lead as he dropped his serve in the eighth game.

Bhambri looked error-prone and committed a double fault in the ninth game, giving the Russian a golden opportunity to serve for the match. Donskoy refused to let the opportunity go by as he closed the match.

Qualifier T Chen from Chinese Taipei entered the quarters with a 7-5,6-7(0),6-3 victory over Swiss Marco Chiudinelli.

Top seeded Aleksandr Nedovyesov of Kazakhstan, currently ranked 93 in the world, was stretched to his limit by Great Britain's Daniel Cox, before he won by a long 6-3,4-6,6-4.

Nedovyesov will face eighth seeded Frenchman David Guez for a place in the semi-final.

RESULTS

Men's Singles - Pre Quarter Final

[1] O Nedovyesov (KAZ) d D Cox (GBR) 6-3 4-6 64

[2] [WC] S Devvarman (IND) d A Kudryavtsev (RUS) 6-3 6-3

[3] E Donskoy (RUS) d Y Bhambri (IND) 6-3 6-4

I Bozoljac (SRB) d [4] G Soeda (JPN) 6-4 6-3

A Menendez-Maceiras (ESP) d [7] R Albot (MDA) 6-4 7-6 (3)

[8] D Guez (FRA) d G Granollers (ESP) 7-5 6-3

A Velotti (ARG) d D Munoz-De La Nava (ESP) 6-3 6-2

[Q] T Chen (TPE) d M Chiudinelli (SUI) 7-5 67(0) 63

Men's Doubles - Quarter-finals

G Granollers (ESP) / A Menendez-Maceiras (ESP) d [4] R Gonzales (PHI) / A Sitak (NZL) 75 64

[WC] S Myneni (IND) / S Singh (IND) d L Pouille (FRA) / G Soeda (JPN) 6-3 6-3

[WC] D Sharan (IND) / V Vardhan (IND) d H Peng (TPE) / T Yang (TPE) 6-3 7-6(4)

O Nedovyesov (KAZ) / B Rola (SLO) d V Baluda (RUS) / A Kudryavtsev (RUS) 6-3 6-3.