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| Lleyton Hewitt in action, on Wednesday |
Key Biscayne: Continuing his impressive comeback post a shoulder surgery, Somdev Dev Varman erased a one-set deficit to beat world No. 78 Evgeny Donskoy in his opening round of the ATP Miami Masters, on Thursday.
The 254th ranked Indian recorded a 4-7, 7-6 (5), 6-2 win over his first-round Russian rival.
A stern test though awaits Somdev as he next faces world No. 34 Spaniard Feliciano Lopez, who got a bye in his opening round.
Somdev has beaten a few top-100 players after making a comeback this season. Victories against world No. 39 Benoit Paire and 78th ranked Bjorn Phau were memorable ones.
In the match against Donskoy, Somdev saved six break chances in the opening set but failed on one occasion and that let the Russian run away with lead and momentum.
In the second set, the two players traded breaks and Somdev prevailed in the tie-breaker.
In the deciding third set, Somdev saved all three breakpoints and converted two of the five chances to move to next level.
Meanwhile, in the doubles event, seventh seeds Leander Paes and Michael Llodra will open their campaign against Kas Christopher and Philipp Kohlschreiber.
Third seeded pair of Mahesh Bhupathi and Daniel Nestor have been drawn against Richard Gasquet and Edouard Roger-Vasselin. Rohan Bopanna and Rajeev Ram face Eric Butorac and Paul Hanley in their opening round.
Also, three-time Grand Slam winner Lleyton Hewitt advanced to the second round after beating Joao Sousa of Portugal 6-1, 7-6 (3).
Hewitt, the 32-year-old Australian who once topped the world rankings, made his first start in the event since 2009. (Agencies)
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