BENGALURU, May 22, 2026 (by Anirudh Suresh)
It was nearly 400 days ago that Ilya Ivashka last got his hands on a trophy in professional tennis, but the former world number 40 will have a chance to end the long wait on Saturday after making it to the final of the S.M. Krishna Memorial Open following a 6-3, 3-6, 6-2 win over third seed Hamish Stewart in Bengaluru, India on Friday.
It is the first final of It was nearly 400 days ago that Ivashka last got his hands on a trophy in professional tennis,2026 for Ivashka, whose last appearance in the final of an ATP Challenger came back in 2020 in Ortisei, Italy.
More than Ivashka’s crisp hitting, however, it was his mental resilience that helped him edge past Stewart as the 32-year-old reset and put behind a huge umpiring controversy in the second set to clinch the semi-final encounter in three.
The incident in question happened at 3-4 (Ad-40) on Ivashka’s serve in the second set. A crosscourt backhand from Stewart was called out by the linesperson, and the chair umpire not only overruled the call but awarded the point to the Great Britain man as Ivashka hit the ball into the net.
Furious with the decision to award the point to Stewart, Ivashka first argued with the chair umpire — claiming that he hit the ball into the net only after the call was made — and then stopped playing briefly in protest, asking for the supervisor to attend to the matter.
Play eventually restarted, but Ivashka lost the game and the set, after which he went on a rant as he made his way out for a bathroom break.
‘This is a disgrace. They can do whatever they want sitting on the chair’, Ivashka screamed looking at the tournament supervisor.
It is not unusual for players to lose the plot after such a meltdown, but remarkably, it was the Belarusian who showed utmost calm in the final set as he reset, recuperated and restored his composure to get the job done in three sets.
After holding serve thrice, producing some exquisite winners, Ivashka broke Stewart at 3-2 and then once again at 5-2 to seal the match and progress to the final. The former world number 40 showcased raw emotion as he unleashed a loud scream after completing the win.
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“Either I go home or I try to win. Because if I would continue the same way, I would go home,” Ivashka said after the match, when asked how he managed to quickly put behind the umpiring controversy and reset.
“I tried my best to stay as calm as I can, and I used the energy to my advantage in the third set.”
Reflecting on the second set controversy, Ivashka said that he was not proud of his on-field conduct and revealed that he apologized to the chair umpire after the match.
“By the rules the chair umpire did everything correct, it was me who lost my mind completely,” the 32-year-old said.
“I apologized to the umpire [after the match]. The way I conducted myself was probably not right. Sometimes I tend to get emotional,” he added.
It’s been a productive couple of weeks for the Belarusian, who began last week’s Challenger outside the Top 700, but is now 518 in the live rankings as a result of two deep runs. Victory on Saturday will bring Ivashka back into the Top 500 for the first time since 2024.
“It’s a nice feeling, especially after the injury that I had. It’s nice to be in the final,” Ivashka said.
Ivashka on Saturday will take on Russia’s Petr Bar Biryukov, who will be playing his maiden final in the ATP Challenger circuit after getting the better of second seed Alastair Gray 3-6, 6-4, 7-6(5).
