BENGALURU, May 13, 2026 (by Anirudh Suresh)
One breadstick, one bagel, and just five games dropped in total – it’s been a flawless week in Bengaluru thus far for former world number 40 Ilya Ivashka, who on Wednesday stormed into the quarterfinal of the Karnataka Open after beating Japan’s Kokoro Isomura (#543) 6-1, 6-2. Ivashka needed just 71 minutes as he progressed to the quarterfinal of the ATP Challenger 50 tournament in India to rack up some much-needed confidence.
Currently ranked 722 in the world, this is Ivashka’s first quarterfinal in any tournament since emerging victorious in the M15 in Luan, China, back in April 2025. The 32-year-old has been toiling hard in both the Challenger and ITF Circuit since returning from a major hip injury last year, and so this run comes as a welcome boost for the veteran Belarusian.
Ivashka, on the day, produced a near-perfect showing as he peeled off an astonishing 34 winners in what was a clean-hitting clinic. The former world number 40’s dominance was such that he generated a whopping 14 break points while just losing a total of nine points on his own serve.
Now, awaiting Ivashka in the quarterfinal is local hopeful Manish Sureshkumar (#829), who went past qualifier Alastair Gray in his Round of 16 encounter after the Great Britain man was forced to retire in the second set. Sureshkumar led 6-4, 3-2 when Gray decided to retire.
Great Britain, though, will still have a representative in the Karnataka Open quarterfinals, with second seed Hamish Stewart booking a place in the final eight by beating Indian veteran Sasikumar Mukund 6-4, 6-4 in straight sets.
Unlike the second seed Stewart, the path to the quarterfinals was not easy for top seed Keegan Smith from USA, who had to toil hard against the big-hitting Dominik Palan from Czech Republic.
Palan, ranked 500 in the world, came out all guns blazing against Smith, blasting winners from both wings to take the first set 6-4. Smith, though, bounced back to take the second set 6-3, and then held his composure and showcased much more consistency and maturity to close out the match 4-6, 6-3, 6-4.
In the quarters, the top-seeded Smith will take on Serbian teenager Ognjen Milic, who on Court 1 got the better of Australia’s Joshua Charlton 3-6, 6-4, 6-3 in three tightly contested sets.
Fourth seed Philip Sekulic, seventh seed Maximus Jones and wildcard Kriish Tyagi completed the quarterfinal lineup by emerging victorious in their respective matches.
While Sekulic easily got the better of US-American qualifier Christopher Papa 6-2, 6-3, Malaysia’s Jones won a gruelling three-setter against the 799th ranked Amit Vales. Jones fought off a spirited comeback from the 20-year-old Vales to close out the Round of 16 match 6-2, 6-7(5), 6-4.
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The Round of 16 proceedings on Wednesday were wrapped up by 19-year-old Tyagi, a highly rated teenager from Bengaluru, who triumphed over Japan’s Yuta Kawahashi (#637) in straight sets, 6-4, 6-4. It means that wildcard Tyagi, ranked 1322 in the world, will head into the quarterfinals as the lowest ranked player remaining in the draw.
