By: Ben Raby
WASHINGTON- Andy Roddick may have won last year's Legg Mason Tennis Classic, but John Isner came away the big winner... and we're not just talking about his 6' 9" frame. Isner reached the Legg Mason final in just his second career ATP tournament. The former Georgia Bulldog wasn't even two months out of college.
But Isner's powerful serve produced 144 aces in DC last year, as the Legg Mason played host to his coming-out party. Not bad for a guy who just eight weeks earlier was playing in the NCAA Singles Final.
Isner lost in the '07 NCAAs to Virginia's Somdev Devvarm in a three-set championship match. Devvarm would go on to defend his NCAA title in 2008, part of an impressive 44-1 season.
But now Devvarm is a pro, and like Isner a year ago, he's hoping to make some noise on the ATP Tour with a strong week here in Washington.
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And that got started today with a first round win over American wild-card Taylor Dent. Devvarm advanced to the second round with a 7-6, 2-6, 6-1 win, his first career ATP victory.
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"It was bound to happen sooner or later," said Devvarman, who also acknowledged the parralels between his Legg Mason debut and Isner's a year ago.
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"We've both gotten our educations, we both went to big football and basketball schools, both did the whole tailgating thing," Devvarman said. "But I had such a great time in college I wouldn't trade it for anything. Now we're just like any other college students who go on to get jobs. Our job just happens to be playing tennis."
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