Spirited Somdev goes down fighting to Nadal

Indian Wells (USA), Mar 17 (PTI) Indian Tennis player
Somdev Devvarman put up a spirited fight against Rafael Nadal
but the world number one eventually managed to tame the
lion-hearted Indian in straight sets in the quarterfinals of
the ATP BNP Paribas Open here.
Somdev went down 5-7 4-6 but not before making the
Spaniard work hard for every point in a contest that lasted
close to two hours -- the first set alone accounting for more
than an hour.
The 26-year-old Indian, known for his fighting spirit and
appetite for long-drawn matches, seemed set for another
marathon when he was locked 5-5 with Nadal in the opening set
itself.
The world number 84 Somdev got a crucial break point in
the 11th game, his second of the set, but could not convert it
handing the advantage back to the Spaniard.
That is where the difference in rankings and experience
showed as Nadal managed to break the Indian in the very next
game to finally seal the set in his favour after slogging it
out for more than an hour.
The second set went on serve till the eighth game before
Nadal managed to convert the only break opportunity to edge
past the Indian.