Mukund Sasikumar was handed a great chance to seal a semifinal berth at the S.M. Krishna Memorial Open here on Thursday, but he failed to capitalise on it.
In the middle of the third set, his opponent Alastair Gray called for a medical time out. Weighed down by a troublesome back, Gray moved gingerly when he came back to the court.
Sasikumar would have liked to keep the rallies going long to trouble an injured Gray, but a slew of unforced errors damaged his chances. With nothing to lose, second seed Gray went on the offensive, ripping one-handed down-the-line backhand winners to stay afloat.
Mukund Sasikumar in action against Alastair Gray during the S.M. Krishna Memorial Open ATP Challenger tennis quarterfinal match at S.M. Krishna Tennis Stadium, Bengaluru, on May 21, 2026. | Photo Credit: K. MURALI KUMAR
An animated Sasikumar (world no. 524) exclaimed loudly after every good play, but it was the fighting Briton who prevailed 6-2, 5-7, 7-6(3).
Gray will face fourth seed Petr Bar Biryukov in the semifinal on Friday.
The results: Quarterfinals: Alastair Gray (GBR) bt Mukund Sasikumar 6-2, 5-7, 7-6(3); Hamish Stewart (GBR) bt Ognjen Milic (Ser) 6-2, 6-1; Petr Bar Biryukov bt Mitsuki Wei Kang Leong (Mas) 6-2, 5-7, 6-3; Ilya Ivashka bt Alex Hernandez (Mex) 6-1, 6-2.