Somdev Devvarman tames Zhang to move to quarterfinals of US Challenger

Aptos: A struggling Somdev Devvarman won the war of attrition against Ze Zhang for a second-round win at the USD 100,000 ATP Challenger event here on Friday.

Somdev, who had not won two consecutive matches on the ATP circuit for nearly six months, triumphed 6-7(4) 7-6(6) 7-5 after a long-drawn battle, lasting three hours and two minutes. It was Somdev`s second win over Zhang in as many meetings, having beaten the Chinese en route to his Delhi Challenger title victory in February. Somdev next faced top seed and world number 54 Mikhail Kukushkin from Kazakhstan. Meanwhile, India`s Divij Sharan was ousted in the doubles quarterfinals along with American partner Kevin King. They lost 5-7 3-6 to Ruben Bemelmans and Laurynas Grigelis.