Olympics 2012: Vishnu Vardhan gets entry in men’s singles

Indian tennis player Vishnu Vardhan has been given entry in the men’s singles on Sunday as a replacement for injured German Philipp Kohlschre-iber. There was a buzz about it from Saturday evening itself when the news came that Philipp is certain to miss the bus with a right hamstring injury. However, they waited for the final confirmation  that came at around 11am. Vardhan was chosen as the highest-ranked male alternative on site at the All England Club. As a result, Vardhan was to play two back-to-back matches on Sunday – one partnering Leander Paes in doubles against Robin Haase and Jean-Julien Rojer of The Netherlands while the other against Slovenia’s Blaz Kavcic in the singles.

Meanwhile, India’s Somdev Devvarman was down 3-6, 0-1 against Finland’s Jarkko Nieminen in the men’s singles first round before rain interrupted play. The men’s doubles match featuring Paes/Vardhan has been postponed due to the weather.