Another tennis showcase for Boar’s Head

Professional tennis fans in Charlottesville won’t have to wait until next spring to get their fix. Better yet, University of Virginia tennis fans won’t have to travel far to see native son Somdev Devvarman in action.

The Daily Progress has learned that the Boar’s Head Sports Club will be hosting a USTA pro circuit tournament in the fall that will feature Devvarman, the former UVa star.

The $50,000 Challenger event, which will take place Oct. 30-Nov. 8, features a 64-player field and will include mainly players who are ranked within the top 200. It will be the second Challenger event to hit Charlottesville — Boar’s Head has hosted the Boyd Tinsley women’s tournament the last eight years.

The new event, which is in the process of securing sponsors, will be played on the indoor hard courts at the club (the women’s event is played outside on clay). The event, which includes a doubles field, was previously held in Louisville, Ky.

“We’d love to make this a tradition for Charlottesville — absolutely,” said Boar’s Head manager James Neiderer. “I think people have been really happy with the Tinsley tournament, and so there’s been talk of, ‘How do we bring a men’s pro tournament to Charlottesville?’

“We looked for opportunities on the calendar, and when this one dropped off, we had a discussion with the USTA and it was a natural fit.”

Especially when you factor in Devvarman.

Since turning pro last summer, the former two-time NCAA champion has climbed more than 650 spots in the rankings.

Last week, Devvarman, currently No. 140 in the world, upset 15th-ranked Marin Cilic at the Legg Mason Classic in Washington. The Chennai, India native, who is playing at a Challenger event in Binghamton, N.Y., this week, hopes to qualify for the U.S. Open later this month.

At the Legg Mason, Devvarman enjoyed a huge home court advantage thanks to a large number of Virginia alumni in the area. The support figures to be even greater come November.

“This is his home,” Neiderer said, “and it would be nice to see him back on his home courts.”