11 January,2009 07:45 AM IST | | Nikhil Subramaniam
Somdev Devvarman
Chennai Open finalist Marin Cilic sure has his share of shortcomings. Now only if Somdev Devvarman can take advantage of them
After getting walkover to the Chennai Open final on Saturday thanks to the withdrawal of Rainer Schuettler due to a left wrist injury, it would seem the tennis gods are conspiring for Somdev Devvarman to become the first Indian to win an ATP Tour title in 10 years.
But the highest ranked Indian is up against the in-form Marin Cilic in Sunday's final (after Cilic beat Spain's Marcel Granollers 6-4, 6-3 on Saturday) and the 23-year-old knows his work has only begun now.
Best chance
"Tomorrow is my best chance. It's the only chance I've had. So looking forward to it. Cilic has been playing some great tennis this entire tournament and even today he was unbelievable. Obviously, I have my work cut out for me," Somdev said before quickly adding in a lighter vein, "But then even I played awesome tennis today too."
It is this confidence that has made Somdev rise up to the challenge thrown by much more experienced opponents. Cilic poses a serious threat. His serve, like most Croatians, is fiery and precise. He also covers the court with decent pace.
That said, Cilic's game is not without weakness. For instance Cilic seems to disappear off the court for large portions of the game, if he's hitting a rough patch. Like his quarter-final against Janko Tipsarevic. After winning the first set, Cilic was under pressure from Tipsarevic in the next set. Instead of fighting back, the Croatian just hung around waiting for things to end, only to lose the set 6-0. He also seems to have a problem with putting away low balls on his forehand.
Another shortcoming in Cilic's tennis is he tends to buckle under crowd pressure. As showcased in his match against Andy Murray in the Davis Cup last year.
Crowd factor
When Murray asked the crowd to pump up the volume, Cilic lost his bearings. And from 5-4, he lost 6 straight games to eventually lose the match. And on Sunday there's no doubting who the 6000-strong Chennai crowd will be cheering for certainly not Cilic!
The world No 27 will sure have a tough fight considering Somdev's brilliant week and the partisan sometimes hostile crowd.
Cilic has a speedy approach and likes to get out of the blocks quickly. On occasions he has tried to force the pace of the match to his disadvantage. For Somdev, it will be important to slow things down on the court a little. Cilic is more than aware of the public factor. "He is the big surprise of the tournament. And of course he'll have the home support. That is a little bit of a disadvantage for me. There will be a lot of pressure, probably like a Davis Cup match," he said.
Live on TV
Chennai Open final
Somdev Devvarman
vs
Marin Cilic
17:00 on Zee Sports
