Bengaluru, India's campaign in the men's singles at the SM Krishna Memorial Open came to an end, but not before Mukund Sasikumar produced a stirring fight against second seed Alastair Gray of Great Britain in a quarterfinal battle that stretched two hours and 40 minutes here on Thursday.
The 29-year-old from Chennai, ranked 536 in the world, pushed the higher-ranked Gray to the brink before eventually falling 6-2, 5-7, 6-7 in one of the most gripping matches of the tournament.
Former world No. 40 Ilya Ivashka continued his dominant run, brushing aside Alex Hernandez of Mexico 6-1, 6-2 in just 72 minutes to storm into the semifinals while third seed Hamish Stewart of Great Britain was equally clinical, requiring only 57 minutes to dismantle sixth seed Ognjen Milic of Serbia 6-2, 6-1.
Fourth seed Petr Bar Biryukov overcame Malaysia's Mitsuki Wei Kang Leong 6-2, 5-7, 6-3 to complete the semifinal lineup.
Mukund's performance was marked by resilience and fearless shot-making, as he fired 14 aces five more than Gray and committed fewer double faults despite facing sustained pressure.
The Indian repeatedly clawed his way back into the contest and was within touching distance of a semifinal berth.
