Tripura native Somdev Dev Varman, set to turn professional later this year, continues to add to his impressive list of tennis accomplishments as an amateur.
On Thursday, the 23-year-old University of Virginia ace set a new record for National Collegiate Athletics Association singles championship wins with his 14th career tournament victory when he defeated Clancy Shields of Boise State 6-4, 7-5, to advance to the round of 16.
The NCAA men's championship tournament is the pinnacle of collegiate tennis in America, an elimination style tournament that gathers the country's top individual players.
Though the NCAA has seen greats like John McEnroe and Arthur Ashe, Dev Varman's legacy may one day shine the brightest.
The Indian Davis Cupper's 14 career victories in the final tournament reflects his consistency: as a sophomore, he made it all the way to the tournament's final match; as a junior he won it, bringing down nascent ATP superstar John Isner in the final.
Now, he's poised to win his second consecutive NCAA men's singles championship, which would be his most impressive feat to date.
As University of Virginia head coach Brian Boland told rediff.com, "His record speaks for itself. He should one day be considered the greatest player the NCAA has ever seen."
Somdev's victory over Shields wasn't a rout. In the first set, he and Shields each held serve until both won four games apiece. Finally, he broke Shields's serve, again defended his, and took the first set, 6-4.
In the second set, Shields had his chances. Serving at 1-2, Somdev fought a break-point to even the set, but Shields won the game in reply.
Somdev then found himself down 30-40 while serving at 2-3; a masterful forehand brought the game back to deuce. Somdev held serve and the players traded service game victories to reach 5-5. From there, the wind seemed to have left Shields's sails, and Somdev coasted to 7-5, winning him the set and the match.
Today, he faces Erling Tviet of Mississippi in the round of 16.
