Devvarman, Shabaz to make U.S. Open debuts

When the U.S. Open kicks off today in Flushing Meadows, N.Y., it will have a little Wahoo flavor.
Former Virginia star Somdev Devvarman and current standout Michael “Showbiz” Shabaz will both be competing. Devvarman and Shabaz are the first players to make it into the main draw of a Grand Slam event during the tenure of Virginia coach Brian Boland.
Devvarman is the first Virginia player to play in the U.S. Open main draw since Brian Vahaly played the tournament in 2002 and 2003. Shabaz is the first Cavalier to play in the US Open doubles tournament since Geoff Macdonald in 1982. Shabaz is also believed to be the first current Virginia player to compete in the main draw of the U.S. Open.
“It’s a tremendous honor for Michael and is certainly something that Somdev has expected, but has worked extremely hard to achieve,” Boland said. “He’s put so much time and effort into it and I think he’s playing the best tennis of his life at this point and could make a good run.”
As NCAA doubles champion this past season, Shabaz was granted a wild card into the event. He’ll be playing with Wayne Odesnik, a tour player whom he has known from his days on the junior circuit. Odesnik, a left-hander, is ranked No. 86 in singles.
“It’s definitely exciting,” Shabaz said. “You don’t get to play in a Grand Slam event every day. It’s a great opportunity for me and it’s going to be a lot of fun.”
Devvarman earned his way into the singles by winning three qualifying matches. Currently ranked No. 162, the Chennai, India native got a fairly favorable draw. He’ll take on Portugal’s Frederico Gil, who is ranked 110th. If he gets past Gil, he could face 24th-ranked Phillip Kohlschreiber, a German.
After that, things could potentially get tougher with a third-round match against Serbian stud Novak Djokovic, the No. 4 player in the world who was runner-up at the Open in 2007 and a semifinalist in ‘08.
The Devvarman-Gil match is the second of the day on Court No. 15 at the tennis center and will start at approximately 1 p.m.
Devvarman has climbed over 600 spots in the rankings in the 14 months he has been a pro. At the Legg Mason Classic in Washington last month, Devvarman upset then-No. 15 Marin Cilic in making it to the third round.
Shabaz and Odesnik will be playing Jon Isner and Sam Querrey, the day and time have yet to be announced. Isner and Querrey are two of the best young American players on tour.
Ironically, Devvarman defeated Isner, the 6-foot-9 former Georgia star, to win the 2007 NCAA singles championship in Atlanta.
“I’ve grown up playing those guys in juniors and know both of them pretty well,” Shabaz said. “It’s going to be fun. They’re big servers. It’s going to be a great opportunity to see the differences in levels — from college to pro.
“John’s been playing well and Sam’s been tearing it up…it’s going to be interesting.”
Boland, who returns a stacked team that will have a chance to win an NCAA title next spring, will be making the trip to New York to watch his pupils.
“I think this says a lot about our program and how much progress we’ve made,” Boland said. “[Devvarman and Shabaz] both have developed here and improved their tennis through a lot of hard work. I’m really proud of both of them.”