Devvarman knocks off Cilic

WASHINGTON — With occasional chants of “Let’s go Hoos,” Virginia alum Somdev Devvarman must have thought he was in some kind of crazy time warp. There he was, surrounded by a number of supporters who were clad in blue and orange. And, there he was, soundly beating an opponent.

But Devvarman, the two-time NCAA singles champion, wasn’t in Charlottesville.

On Tuesday evening, the 153rd-ranked professional was shocking 15th-ranked Marin Cilic on center court at the Legg Mason Tennis Classic. Devvarman frustrated the powerful Croat with his consistent play from the back, defeating him 7-5, 6-4 to notch the biggest victory of his young career.

Devvarman said he was very aware of the pro-Virginia crowd.

“Absolutely,” he said. “I love hearing it. I love the support. It’s great.”

The win was revenge for Devvarman. In January, Cilic had beaten Devvarman, a Chennai, India native, in the finals of the Chennai Open.

“This wasn’t the final of a tour event, so I wasn’t as nervous coming out, and it was the first match for him this week and I already had three under my belt,” Devvarman said. “That’s always a good feeling going into a match.

“Today, my gameplan was to just go out there and compete as hard as possible and just let the chips fall where they may. I just wanted to stay calm and focused and play as hard as I could.”

The victory moved Devvarman into a round-of-16 match with the winner of today’s second-rounder between 25th-ranked Ivo Karlovic and Rainer Schuettler. If Devvarman could win that match — he beat Karlovic in the quarters of the Chenai Open — he would likely face fifth-ranked Andy Roddick, the tournament’s top seed, in a quarterfinal showdown on Friday that could bring Wahoo Nation out in droves.

Devvarman is friendly with Roddick. He recently trained with him at his home in Austin, Texas.

However, Devvarman isn’t looking that far ahead.

“Andy who? Who’s Andy?” Devvarman joked. “I’m obviously aware of where I stand in the draw, but the way I’m looking at it now it’s just one at a time.”

Against Cilic, Devvarman looked confident from the get-go. On the very first point of the match, he whistled a forehand passing shot by the 6-foot-5 Croat. Later in the set, he broke Cilic to take a 5-4 lead only to see Cilic break right back after he was just two points from taking the set.

However, Devvarman broke Cilic again — thanks to a beautifully-timed topspin lob — then held at love to win the set.

In the second set, Devvarman broke Cilic twice to take a 5-2 lead. Just one game from defeat, that’s when the Croat seemed to awake. Cilic won the next two games to pull to 5-4 but Devvarman, who had a 62 percent first-serve percentage on the night, calmly closed out the match on his own service. He culminated the win with a screaming forehand winner up the line, to the delight of the partisan crowd, which included Virginia coach Brian Boland and former Cavalier Treat Huey.

The win represents another impressive bullet point on Devvarman’s resume. Since turning pro in the summer of 2008, he has climbed 647 spots in the rankings.

Before Tuesday, he had wins over the likes of Karlovic, Carlos Moya and Sam Querrey.

Fitness has been one of Devvarman’s biggest keys.

“It’s pretty safe say that he’s one of the fittest guys on tour,” said Milos Galecic, Devvarman’s strength and conditioning coach. “A lot of it is genetic — I can’t take that much credit. He’s always been known for his fitness.

“It’s a large part of his game and a reason why he is as good as he is.”

Galecic, who also works with female tour player Aleksandra Wozniak, says he has worked mainly on improving Devvarman’s strength.

“In college, they play maybe a match or two per week,” Galecic said. “Here, it’s day in and day out at a higher level — without taking anything away from college tennis. Here, every match is a tough one. We’ve gotten him to realize that here he has to be on top of his game day in and day out.”

The best thing about Devvarman — as many Virginia fans have known for some time — is that he possesses something you can’t teach.

“He definitely has the drive and wants to get better on a daily basis,” Galecic said. “He’s one of the hardest-working athletes that I’ve had the pleasure of working with him. He is very motivated by his losses and is always ready to come in and get better.

“Just how he left a mark on the game of college tennis, I think he wants to leave a mark on the tour and prove that college players can make it, which is a big motivating factor for him, too.”