Conjuring creative cross-court combinations, Marcos Baghdatis treated fans to magical shotmaking last March when he saved three match points in a memorable Indian Wells upset of Roger Federer.
Enchantment eluded Baghdatis in his BNP Paribas Open return today: the showman from Cyprus dissolved in a desert disappearing act. His opponent, Somdev Devvarman, did not drop a point on serve in the second set, winning eight straight games in dismissing a lethargic Baghdatis, 7-5, 6-0. It's Devvarman's fourth consecutive straight-sets win in Indian Wells—two coming in qualifying—and he'll face either No. 15 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga or Xavier Malisse for a spot in the round of 16.
Devvarman doesn’t exactly evoke comparisons to fellow former All-American John Isner on serve. In fact, Devvarman’s delivery can be so pedestrian that you wonder if he sees a crosswalk where the service box resides. But his superiority on serve was a significant key to his win today. The 26-year-old Indian, who spent some of the off-season in Austin, Texas, where he practiced with Andy Roddick, held at love in five of his nine service games today. Devvarman won all 12 points played on his serve in the second set.
In contrast, Baghdatis connected on only 46 percent of his first serves and dumped six double faults.
Though Devvarman already had three matches under his belt when he took the court today, while Baghdatis was playing his first of the tournament, it was the former Australian Open finalist who broke first for a 3-2 lead. It proved to be short lived as Devvarman reeled off eight straight points for a 4-3 advantage.
Serving to extend the first set, a defensive Baghdatis was flat-footed as Devvarman drove an inside-out forehand winner for set point. The world No. 84 attacked net behind a forehand, knocked off an easy overhead and unleashed a roundhouse right hand in the air that recalled a Rafa celebration. That fist pump was more emotion than Baghdatis displayed in the entire second set, as Devvarman won 12 of the first 15 points to take command. Devvarman lacks a single forceful finishing shot, but the 5-foot-11, 160-pounder is exceedingly quick around the court, reads the point and his opponent well, and is not afraid to close at net (he won nine of 10 net points).
Once typecast as a skilled shotmaker and spirited showman whose lack of discipline and suspect conditioning prevented him from fully realizing his gifts, Baghdatis has shed some weight thanks to an off-season workout program. But he retired from two of his last three tournaments and showed little stomach for a comeback on a warm day today.
When a disconsolate Bag Man sailed a forehand seven feet beyond the baseline to fall behind 0-5, it was a clear sign of capitulation. He managed just 10 points in a lopsided 23-minute second set and finished with 37 unforced errors. Devvarman struck only 18, and has produced his best career Masters 1000 result, regardless of how he fares in the next round.
—Richard Pagliaro