Somdev and Voest's tenacity engineered a prodigious tennis game, which the Indian won 3-6, 6-7(3), 7-6(5), 6-2, 6-4 after an energy-sapping four hour and 38 minutes' battle at the Ellis Park indoor stadium.
Voest, a man on mission, played like a true champion, putting his heart and soul into the do-or-die match. But Somdev showed he had the class to beat champions.
Down by two sets, Somdev staged an incredible comeback as he overcame an early drop of serve to break Voest in the fourth game of the third set and go on to win it via the tie-breaker and keep India's challenge alive.
The prolonged battle started to take its toll on Voest, as his shots became feeble; unforced errors began to flow and Somdev gradually took control of the match. He raced to a 5-1 lead in the fourth set by breaking the South African twice.
The Indian wrapped up the set in the eighth game and it all boiled down to the fifth and decisive set.
A heart-stopping show followed in the final set as Somdev and Voest raised the level of the game by several notches. Every single point produced scintillating tennis.
Somdev broke Voest in the fifth game to take the decisive lead though he had a chance to break him in the first game as well.
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