WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (AP) — Ilya Ivashka beat Mikael Ymer 6-0, 6-2 on Saturday in the Winston-Salem Open to become the first player from Belarus to win an ATP Tour singles title in 18 years.
Ranked 63rd in the world, the 27-year-old Ivashka is the lowest-ranked champion in the event’s 10-year history, and the sixth player this season ranked outside the top 50 to win an ATP Tour title.
Max Mirnyi was the last Belarusian winner — in 2003 at Rotterdam
Ivashka lost only one set in six tournament matches, with that one coming in the second round. He beat top-seeded Pablo Carreno Busta in the quarterfinals.
Ivashka held serve throughout the final while breaking Ymer three times.
The 22-year-old Ymer, ranked 90th, was the first player from Sweden to reach an ATP Tour singles final since 2011.
The hard-court tournament is a tune-up event for the U.S. Open, the year’s last Grand Slam tournament that starts Monday in New York.
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