Ilya Ivashka wins Winston-Salem Open, clinches maiden ATP title
Ilya Ivashka, on Saturday, breezed past Mikael Ymer to win his maiden ATP Tour-level title. He beat Ymer 6-0, 6-2 to triumph at the Winston-Salem Open. With this, he became the first Belarusian to win a trophy at this level since Max Mirnyi in 2003. The 27-year-old is the eighth first-time winner on the ATP Tour this season. Here are further details.
How did the match pan out?
Ivashka played mostly from the baseline and presented a strong serve. He secured a bagel in no time. The world number 63 took the second set 6-2 to win in just 56 minutes. He won 90 per cent (18/20) of the points on his first serve. Ivashka won a total of 62 points in the match. He sealed eight consecutive games in a row.
Ivashka elated with his achievement
"This week, I had everything. In the second round, I was booking my flights to New York. I was two points away from losing and now I am standing here," Ivashka said. "It is incredible how things can change. It was an unbelievable pleasure to play here. I feel amazing to play in front of such a nice crowd and I really enjoyed it."
First-time winners on the ATP Tour (2021)
As stated, Ivashka has become the eighth first-time winner on the incumbent ATP Tour. Others who won their maiden ATP title this year are - Daniel Evans, JM Cerundolo, Alexei Popyrin, Aslan Karatsev, Sebastian Korda, Cameron Norrie, and Carlos Alcaraz.
Feats attained by Ivashka
Ivashka dropped just one set to become the champion in Winston-Salem. He defeated Andreas Seppi, Marin Cilic, Jan-Lennard Struff, Pablo Carreno Busta, Emil Ruusuvuori en route to the final. Ivashka has also become the sixth titlist to be ranked outside the Top 50 this year. He now has a win-loss record of 23-12 in the ongoing season.
Ymer was also competing in his maiden tour-level final
Ivashka's opponent in the final, Ymer, was vying to become the first Swedish champion at this level since Robin Soderling (2011). "I think it was a good week. When the time is right and I have calmed down, there are things to bring with me. I just have to study exactly what these things are to become more consistent for the future," Ymer said.
