Bengaluru, May 24: Adil Kalyanpur and Mukund Shashikumar triumphed in the doubles category at the SM Krishna Memorial Open 2026 held in Bengaluru on Saturday. This victory marks their first doubles title in both individual and ATP Challenger 50 tennis tournaments.
The unseeded Indian duo defeated Kazakhstan’s Petr Bar Biryukov and Grigory Lomakin with a score of 6-7(3), 6-4, 10-3 in a thrilling final that lasted one hour and 37 minutes at the SM Krishna KSLTA Tennis Stadium. After losing the first set in a tiebreak, Kalyanpur and Mukund made a strong comeback, showcasing excellent performance in the second set, which led to a super tiebreak where they dominated to secure the title on home soil.
Earlier in the tournament, Kalyanpur and Mukund advanced to the semifinals by defeating the fourth-seeded Japanese pair of Kokoro Isomura and Ryuki Matsuda with a score of 6-3, 7-6(4). In the semifinals, they faced the second-seeded duo of Ireland’s Charles Barry and Australia’s Joshua Charlton, winning in straight sets 6-4, 6-3 to earn their spot in the final.
Meanwhile, India’s Niki Kalyanda Poonacha and Saket Maineni lost in the semifinals to Biryukov and Lomakin, with a score of 6-3, 6-4. Mukund also performed well in singles at the SM Krishna Memorial Open. The 29-year-old reached the quarterfinals, where he faced Great Britain’s Alastair Gray but ultimately lost in a grueling match that lasted two hours and 40 minutes, ending with a score of 2-6, 7-5, 7-6(3). In the singles final, Petr Bar Biryukov claimed the title by defeating Belarus’s Ilya Ivashka 7-6(0), 4-6, 6-4.
Earlier on Friday, former top-50 player Ilya Ivashka displayed composure under pressure, defeating Britain’s third seed Hamish Stewart in an exciting semifinal with a score of 6-3, 3-6, 6-2. Meanwhile, fourth-seeded Petr Bar Biryukov overcame second-seeded Alastair Gray in another marathon match, winning 3-6, 6-4, 7-6(5). The SM Krishna Memorial Open is the third Challenger tournament held in Bengaluru this year, following the Bengaluru Open in January and the Karnataka Open last week.
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