Russia’s Igor Rud was among the champions at the latest ITF 30+ Seniors event as silverware and ranking points assumed centre stage at the Inkon Winter Russian Cup in St. Petersburg.

Rud, who was once among the top 500 junior players on the planet before holding a professional ranking, last featured on the ITF World Tennis Tour Men’s in 2017.

Here, at the highest graded (S700) tournament so far to host a 30+ event – the new competition structure has six grades with the World Individual Championships being the most prestigious – Rud conquered all before him.

The 32-year-old navigated his way to the final without dropping a set and topped the podium courtesy of a 6-4 6-0 victory over fellow countryman Ivan Korol.

Elsewhere at competition – the fourth 30-and-over event since the ITF Seniors Tour incorporated the age category onto its schedule – Olesya Kolesnikova was crowned women’s champion after defeating Anna Iusian 6-2 6-1.

Until this year, the lower age category on the ITF Seniors Tour was 35-and-over, with the new age bracket allowing players to contest competitive, non-professional, events five years earlier than was previously the case.

In terms of professional tennis experience, Rud is the most decorated winner of an ITF 30+ Seniors event so far and, in many respects, he is exactly the type of player that the tournaments graded S700 and above were designed to attract.

The aim of ITF 30+ Seniors events is to provide competitive playing experiences, but also maintain the core principles of Seniors tennis, which allow participants to stay fit, visit new places and forge and sustain friendships through sport.