Ilya Ivashka reacts to clinching his maiden ATP title at Winston-Salem Open

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Belarusian Ilya Ivashka acknowledged he would have easily lost early at the Winston-Salem but of course he was happy he managed to make it all the way. Ivashka, ranked at No. 64 in the world, demolished rising Swedish star Mikael Ymer 6-0 6-2 in the Winston-Salem Open final to capture his maiden ATP title.

Ivashka captured five straight sets and one three-set win en route to winning Winston-Salem. In the second round, Ivashka recovered from a set down to beat 2014 US Open champion Marin Cilic. "This week, I had everything,” Ivashka said during the trophy ceremony, per the ATP website.

“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. It is incredible how things can change in one match. 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."

Ivashka gives credit to his team

"I want to thank my team and my wife, she is always there and this one is for you,” Ivashka added.

“My coach is always there with me and supporting me and we have been together for a long time so I thank him for everything. It was a dream week”. On the other side, Ymer became the first Swede to reach an ATP final since 2011.

Ymer was disappointed he didn't win his maiden ATP title but he admitted Ivashka was the better player. "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.

"He was very stable, he was very focused. He didn't give me any chances to really come back and he was the better tennis player today."