Bengaluru, May 24 (IANS) Adil Kalyanpur and Mukund Sasikumar gave the host nation a lot to cheer for as they won the doubles title in the SM Krishna Memorial Open 2026, claiming their maiden doubles title as individuals and as a ATP Challenger 50 tennis tournament both as individuals and as a pair, in Bengaluru, on Saturday.

The unseeded Indian pair defeated Petr Bar Biryukov and Grigoriy Lomakin of Kazakhstan, 6-7(3), 6-4, 10-3 in the final, sealing the win in one hour and 37 minutes at the SM Krishna KSLTA Tennis Stadium.

The Indian duo fought back strongly after narrowly losing the opening set in a tie-break. Kalyanpur and Mukund stepped up in the second set to force the match into the super tie-breaker, which they dominated to win the title on home soil.

Earlier in the tournament, Kalyanpur and Mukund upset fourth-seeded Japanese pair Kokoro Isomura and Ryuki Matsuda 6-3, 7-6(4) to enter the semi-finals.

They then defeated second seeds Charles Barry of Ireland and Joshua Charlton of Australia 6-4, 6-3 in straight sets to book their place in the final.

Meanwhile, India’s Niki Kaliyanda Poonacha and Saketh Myneni lost 6-3, 6-4 to Biryukov and Lomakin in the semi-finals. Mukund also enjoyed a strong run in singles at the SM Krishna Memorial Open.

The 29-year-old Mukund produced a spirited performance against Great Britain’s Alastair Gray in the quarter-finals before eventually losing 2-6, 7-5, 7-6(3) in a match lasting two hours and 40 minutes.

In the singles final, Petr Bar Biryukov defeated Belarusian Ilya Ivashka 7-6(0), 4-6, 6-4 to claim the title.

Earlier on Friday, Former top-50 player Ilya Ivashka produced a composed display under pressure to overcome Britain’s third seed Hamish Stewart 6-3, 3-6, 6-2 in a gripping semifinal, while fourth seed Petr Bar Biryukov outlasted second seed Alastair Gray 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 (5) in another marathon encounter.

The SM Krishna Memorial Open was the third Challenger tournament held in Bengaluru this year, after the Bengaluru Open in January and the Karnataka Open, which ran last week.

–IANS

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