<p>The Indian qualifier, who lost to Cilic in his maiden ATP final in the Chennai Open earlier this year, took one hour and 42 minutes to sent the Croatian packing 7-5, 6-4 to reach the third round where he would meet either the big-hitting Croatian Ivo Karlovic or German Raine Scheuttler.<br /><br />"It's definitely the biggest win of my career. He's a great player. He's in top 15 already and on his way to the top 10," Somdev gushed after the win.<br /><br />"All along I played well. My plan was to compete as hard as possible. I took my chance and I'm proud of the result," said Somdev who saved five of the seven break points that his opponent had.<br /><br />Cilic had ended Somdev's dream run in January in Chennai, where the 24-year-old had reached his first ATP final with wins over players like Carlos Moya and Ivo Karlovic.<br />Somdev said he did not have any butterflies in the stomach in the second round match and neither was he out to settle an old score.<br /><br />"It wasn't my first Tour final tonight so I wasn't as nervous going out," said the 153rd-ranked Indian.<br /><br />"But there was no (revenge factor) for my loss to him in Chennai. There's no ill feelings. We were just two competitors out there today," Somdev added.<br /><br />Somdev, who won the NCAA singles titles in 2007-08 while playing collegiate tennis at nearby University of Virginia, said competing in the qualifying rounds gave him an advantage against Cilic.<br /><br />"I already had three matches under my belt and this was his first match of the tournament. I just wanted to go out there and play my game, compete as hard as I could and let the chips fall where they may," said the youngster.<br /><br />Having played a lot of tennis at the University of Virginia, Somdev had enough support from the stands and if he can pull off a couple of more surprises, he might run into top seed Andy Roddick in the quarter-finals of the hardcourt event.<br /><br />"Andy who?" quipped Somdev.<br /><br />"I'm aware of where I am but I have to take it one match at a time," he said.<br /><br />On a more serious note, he said, "I've put in a lot of work. I'm doing things the right way.<br />""I'll take a deep breath when I have some breathing space," said Somdev who played four matches in as many days.</p>
<p>The Indian qualifier, who lost to Cilic in his maiden ATP final in the Chennai Open earlier this year, took one hour and 42 minutes to sent the Croatian packing 7-5, 6-4 to reach the third round where he would meet either the big-hitting Croatian Ivo Karlovic or German Raine Scheuttler.<br /><br />"It's definitely the biggest win of my career. He's a great player. He's in top 15 already and on his way to the top 10," Somdev gushed after the win.<br /><br />"All along I played well. My plan was to compete as hard as possible. I took my chance and I'm proud of the result," said Somdev who saved five of the seven break points that his opponent had.<br /><br />Cilic had ended Somdev's dream run in January in Chennai, where the 24-year-old had reached his first ATP final with wins over players like Carlos Moya and Ivo Karlovic.<br />Somdev said he did not have any butterflies in the stomach in the second round match and neither was he out to settle an old score.<br /><br />"It wasn't my first Tour final tonight so I wasn't as nervous going out," said the 153rd-ranked Indian.<br /><br />"But there was no (revenge factor) for my loss to him in Chennai. There's no ill feelings. We were just two competitors out there today," Somdev added.<br /><br />Somdev, who won the NCAA singles titles in 2007-08 while playing collegiate tennis at nearby University of Virginia, said competing in the qualifying rounds gave him an advantage against Cilic.<br /><br />"I already had three matches under my belt and this was his first match of the tournament. I just wanted to go out there and play my game, compete as hard as I could and let the chips fall where they may," said the youngster.<br /><br />Having played a lot of tennis at the University of Virginia, Somdev had enough support from the stands and if he can pull off a couple of more surprises, he might run into top seed Andy Roddick in the quarter-finals of the hardcourt event.<br /><br />"Andy who?" quipped Somdev.<br /><br />"I'm aware of where I am but I have to take it one match at a time," he said.<br /><br />On a more serious note, he said, "I've put in a lot of work. I'm doing things the right way.<br />""I'll take a deep breath when I have some breathing space," said Somdev who played four matches in as many days.</p>
