Dev-Li pair crashes out

Ahmedabad: It was curtains for India at the French Open this year with 18-year-old Dev Javia and his Chinese partner Li Hanwen going down to the British pair of Felix Gill and Arthur Ferry in straight sets 5-7, 2-6 in their round of 16 encounter in the boys’ doubles at Roland Garros in Paris on Wednesday.

The Indo-Chinese pair started with a bang

and were 4-1 up in the first set but lost their rhythm and allowed their opponents to regroup. The British pair took full advantage of the shift in the momentum and took the first set 7-5.

Dev, the Ahmedabad lad, and Hanwen were fast losing their grip on the match. The second set started with some unforced errors from the Indo-Chinese pair and the British pair stepped up their game, especially their first serve. They won the second set 6-2.

Dev’s coach Shrimal Bhatt, who is accompanying him in Paris, sounded dejected after the loss.

“Dev and his partner had their chances in the beginning of the first set but they became casual and once the British pair had gained the upper hand after trailing 1-4 in the first set, they became very aggressive and were able to dominate the match,’’ said Bhatt.


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