Ranzi Sports

Bengaluru, May 23: Fourth seed Petr Bar Biryukov triumphed over former World No. 40 Ilya Ivashka in an exhilarating three-set contest to secure the men’s singles title, while the Indian duo of Adil Kalyanpur and Mukund Sasikumar concluded a remarkable week by winning the doubles championship at the SM Krishna Memorial Open on Saturday.

Biryukov overcame his seasoned rival with scores of 7-6 (0), 4-6, 6-4 in a high-caliber final that spanned two hours and one minute, demonstrating aggressive shot-making, powerful serves, and relentless baseline rallies. The tall left-hander received a winner’s cheque of USD 9,500 along with 50 ATP ranking points, while Ivashka had to settle for USD 5,500 and 25 ATP points for his journey to the final.

Later, the local audience had reasons to rejoice as Adil Kalyanpur and Mukund Sasikumar defeated Petr Bar Biryukov and Grigoriy Lomakin from Kazakhstan with scores of 6-7 (3), 6-4, 10-3 to claim the men’s doubles title. This victory marked Adil and Mukund’s first ATP Challenger title. The champions took home USD 2,980 and 50 ATP points as a team, while the runners-up received USD 1,740 and 30 ATP points.

In the men’s singles final, Biryukov heavily relied on his most potent weapon — his serve — delivering 14 aces compared to Ivashka’s eight. Although Biryukov made 39 unforced errors, his readiness to attack during critical moments proved crucial against the former ATP Tour title holder.

The initial set was fiercely contested, with neither competitor yielding a break. Ivashka, whose experience includes regular participation on the ATP Tour and achieving a career-high ranking within the world’s top 40, managed to absorb pressure effectively and prolonged rallies whenever feasible.

However, the tie-break was completely dominated by Biryukov. Showcasing some of his finest tennis of the match, the Russian blanked Ivashka 7-0, delivering powerful serves and dictating play with forehand winners to take the lead.