London: Somdev Devvarman battled hard for more than three hours but had to swallow yet another bitter first-round defeat as he bowed out of the Wimbledon championships after losing his marathon opening match to 15th seeded Polish Jerzy Janowicz.
Somdev's 6-4 3-6 3-6 6-3 3-6 defeat was his 10th first round defeat in his last 13 tournaments as he has been struggling since winning the Delhi Open in February. In all three Grand Slams this season, Somdev has failed to cross the first round and it was against the same Janowicz that Somdev had lost a gruelling five-set opener at the Australian Open.
Nevertheless, Somdev was resilient throughout the contest and raised hopes of an upset against the world No 25, who struggled with his serve, sending down a staggering 19 double faults. Once Janowicz found his forehand, he had Somdev gasping. The Indian also lacked the game to counter Janowicz on grass court as his baseline style of play was not productive.
The Polish giant standing at 6 ft 8 inch, also tested the Indian with a variety of drop shots which at times became a struggle for Somdev to even reach. When he was broken in the fourth game of the fifth set after saving four breakpoints, handing a 3-1 cushion to Janowicz, the writing was clear on the wall. Janowicz ended the misery of Somdev and his own with a backhand down the line winner.
