Bengaluru, May 22 -- The key turning point of the match came right at the start of the third set, when Ilya Ivashka responded to the pressure of dropping the second set by immediately breaking serve and reasserting control, ultimately going on to defeat Hamish Stewart 6-3, 3-6, 6-2 in the semifinal of the SM Krishna Memorial Open in Bengaluru.
It was a match that swung in phases, but settled into a familiar pattern for long stretches - Ivashka dictating early, Stewart responding, and then the Belarusian closing stronger when it mattered most.
The opening set set the tone, with Ivashka taking it 6-3 through sharp returning and efficient service games that kept Stewart constantly under pressure in his own service games.
Stewart, however, r...