Devvarman Falls in Three Sets in SA Open Final

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JOHANNESBURG, South Africa — Former Cavalier Somdev Devvarman, playing in the second ATP final of his career, fell to Kevin Anderson Sunday at the SA Open at the Montecasino in Johannesburg. Anderson, a former All-American at Illinois, rallied for a 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 win for his first ATP Tour title.

Sunday’s final was the first time two former collegiate players met in an ATP Tour singles final since 1997. That year, 1995 NCAA singles champion Sargis Sargsian (Arizona State) topped Brett Steven (SMU) in the final at Newport, R.I.

Devvarman, ranked No. 110 this week in the ATP world rankings, defeated South African qualifier Raven Klaasen in the first round, Dutchman Jesse Huta Galung in the second round and South African Rik de Voest in the quarterfinals. He defeated former Old Dominion All-American Izak van der Merwe in the semifinals.

With his results in Johannesburg, Devvarman will return to the world top 100 next week with a new career-high ranking of approximately No. 78. His current career high ranking, No. 94, came last year.