Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru
Bengaluru, May 23: Indian tennis players Adil Kalyanpur and Mukund Sasikumar delivered a commanding performance to book their place in the men’s doubles final of the SM Krishna Memorial Open, defeating the second-seeded pair of Charles Barry of Ireland and Joshua Charlton of Australia in straight sets on Friday.
The Indian duo produced an aggressive and composed display throughout the semifinal, sealing a 6-4, 6-3 victory to keep India’s hopes alive in the doubles competition.
However, the country’s other doubles pair, Niki Kaliyanda Poonacha and Saketh Myneni, failed to progress after suffering a straight-set defeat against Petr Bar Biryukov and Kazakhstan’s Grigoriy Lomakin. The Indo-Kazakh combination dominated the match to register a 6-3, 6-4 win.
In the singles event, former world top-50 player Ilya Ivashka fought through a demanding semifinal to overcome Britain’s third seed Hamish Stewart in a hard-fought three-set encounter. Ivashka claimed the match 6-3, 3-6, 6-2 after more than two hours on court.
The Belarusian started strongly by breaking Stewart early in the opening set and maintained control with solid serving and powerful baseline play. Stewart responded well in the second set, improving his returns and levelling the contest with a confident 6-3 set win.
But Ivashka regained control in the decider, dominating longer rallies and capitalising on crucial break opportunities to secure victory and advance to the final.
Awaiting him in the title clash is fourth seed Petr Bar Biryukov, who emerged victorious in another intense semifinal against Britain’s Alastair Gray.
Biryukov recovered after dropping the first set to defeat Gray 3-6, 6-4, 7-6(5) in a gripping contest that lasted just over two hours. The match featured powerful serving and aggressive baseline exchanges, with Biryukov relying heavily on his strong forehand and accurate first serves during the deciding tie-break.
Gray initially appeared in control after taking the opening set comfortably, but Biryukov raised his intensity in the second to level the match before surviving a tense final-set battle.
The deciding set saw momentum shift several times. Biryukov earned an early break before Gray fought back to force a tie-break. In the crucial moments, the fourth seed held his nerve to edge the breaker 7-5 and secure his place in the championship match.
The tournament finals will now feature Ivashka taking on Biryukov in singles, while Indian pair Adil Kalyanpur and Mukund Sasikumar will look to continue their dream run in the doubles title clash.