Somdev eyes Aussie Open draw

Dubai: Somdev Dev Varman, who was the flavour of Indian tennis last week with a stirring show at the Chennai Open, has his feet quite firmly on the ground.

His immediate goal is to qualify for the main draw for the Australian Open, where he says he is going to focus on one match at a time and promises to do his best.

Taking time out to reply to Gulf News queries on the eve of his departure for Melbourne for the qualifiers, the Federer fan said: "I am playing some good tennis right now and I feel physically and mentally very strong. While the first goal is to try and qualify for the main draw, I am going to take one match at a time."

In what was certainly a week of inspired tennis, Dev Varman scalped three much higher-ranked players in Chennai before falling in the final to leapfrog 48 places and reach a career-best ATP ranking of 154. Only three Indians - Vijay Amritraj, Ramesh Krishnan and Leander Paes have featured in the singles' top-100 so far.

A wild card in Chennai, he beat American Kevin Kim (ranked 113), former world No 1 Carlos Moya (41) and Ivo Karlovic (26) - before being aided by a slice of luck when Rainer Schuettler had to give a walkover in the semifinal.

"Yes, getting a walkover was in some ways a disappointment but then it's something that was not in my control," he said.

Asked if his recent success would mean more expectations from him as the number one singles player in the Davis Cup - where India had been hard-pressed to find a successor to Paes, Dev Varman said: "Well, my responsibility before the Chennai Open was to win two singles matches and it still remains the same."

Incidentally, he made his Davis Cup debut against Uzbekistan in a zonal tie last year.

From a rookie who shot into limelight after winning the prestigious US National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) championship last year, Dev Varman has come a long way though he feels it's just the beginning.

"Well, it's been an incredible journey so far. It's been a long tough road but one that I have enjoyed thoroughly. I have worked very hard to get where I am today, but there is still a lot more to be done," he observed.

Dev Varman was also thankful to the two Indian stalwarts - Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi. "They have been very supportive towards me since I made my Davis Cup debut. I have grown up aspiring to represent my country and win matches for it just as they have done in their career."

On a roll

Somdev Dev Varman of India returns the ball to Carlos Moya of Spain during their match at the Chennai Open last week. The Indian star is hoping to make the main draw of the Australian Open.