SM Krishna Memorial Tennis: Alastair Gray outlasts Mukund Sasikumar to enter semis

Getting the physio to treat his back twice during the third set, perhaps, helped Gray to not only take a breather but also helping him add a tad more punch in his shots.

Bengaluru: The slow burner between Alastair Gray and Mukund Sasikumar needed two hours and 40 minutes to decide the winner on the Centre Court of the SM Krishna Stadium here on Thursday. By then, the two other singles quarterfinal encounters on Court 1 had started and finished with Great Britain's Hamish Steward and Belarus’ Ilya Ivashka scoring easy wins to advance to the semifinals of the SM Krishna Memorial ATP 50 Challenger.

As both the second-seeded Gray and the only surviving Indian Sasikumar huffed and puffed with the sun beating down relentlessly, an extra ounce of energy in the former’s reserves helped him secure a 6-2, 5-7, 7-6 (3) victory and book his place in the last-four stage. 

Two breaks of serves in the opener was enough for Gray to coast through the first set. The match, however, got into a tug-of-war mode when Sasikumar decided to derail Gray’s surge in the second set. 

With his serves looking sharper and forehands finding the gaps, the world No. 536 Chennai man began to stay more disciplined through points. Eventually, Sasikumar reaped the benefits - first by breaking Gray twice and then holding an important service game in the seventh to go ahead 5-2. 

This was when the first signs of swinging fortunes appeared which went on to define the rest of the contest. Relying heavily on his crisp single-handed backhand returns, the 287-ranked Gray got back into the match by winning the eighth and 10th games off Sasikumar’s serve to equalise 5-5. A few good wide serves and Sasikumar attacking Gray’s forehand helped the Indian to win the second and force a decider. 

By now, both competitors -- enduring heat and humidity -- knew the match had become more about conserving energy while betting on their stock shots. Predictably, there were quite a few aces while the weak second serves were punished right away for each of them to win a few quick points while the longer rallies ended when an unforced error came off either one of the racquets. 

Getting the physio to treat his back twice during the third set, perhaps, helped Gray to not only take a breather but loosened up the muscles, helping him add a tad more punch in his shots. That slender advantage, in the end, proved enough for the Briton to wrap up the match through the tie-breaker.

Results (quarterfinal, prefix denotes seedings): Singles: 2-Alastair Gray (GBR) bt Mukund Sasikumar (Ind) 6-2, 5-7, 7-6 (3); Ilya Ivashka bt Alex Hernandez (Mex) 6-1, 6-2; 3-Hamish Stewart (GBR) bt 6-Ognjen Milic (Srb) 6-2, 6-1; 4-Petr Bar Biryukov bt Mitsuki Wei Kang Leong (Mas) 6-2, 5-7, 6-3.