Mahesh Makes Bratislava Breakthrough by Howard Harding 15 December 2013
- Five-game victories over the event's top two seeds led to Mahesh
Mangaonkar becoming the first Indian winner of the PSA IMET Open, the
PSA World Tour Challenger 5 squash event marking its sixth year at the
Imet Squash Centrum in the Slovakia capital Bratislava.
The 19-year-old World
No.98 from Mumbai made his breakthrough in the semi-finals where he
downed two-time champion Jan Koukal, the top seed from the Czech
Republic expected to make his fourth final appearance in six years,
13-11, 11-8, 9-11, 7-11, 13-11 in 98 minutes.
Third seed Mangaonkar
then lined up against defending champion Greg Lobban, the No.2 seed
from Scotland who was celebrating his third successive appearance in a
Tour final.
Despite his heroics
less than 24 hours earlier, the Indian teenager was still able to call
upon reserves to recover from losing the first game to take a 2/1 lead.
Edinburgh-based Lobban, ranked 82 in the world, dug deep to take the fourth to force a fifth game decider.
But Mangaonkar
(pictured above in action with Lobban) refused to give up, reclaiming
the advantage to close out the match 7-11, 11-8, 11-4, 6-11, 11-7 after
77 minutes to take the title.
"The turning point of
this final was in the second set, where I started to move properly on
the court," said the jubilant champion after the second Tour title
triumph of his career.
"I was happy to win
the third, rested a bit in fourth and fought back in fifth. Squash is
also a mental game and I gave it all I had in the final set."
RESULTS: PSA Challenger 5 Imet Open, Bratislava, Slovakia
1st round: [1] Jan Koukal (CZE) bt [Q] David Wardle (ENG) 11-2, 13-11, 11-9 (36m) [Q] Martin Svec (CZE) bt Wojtek Nowisz (POL) 11-6, 4-11, 11-6, 11-5 (45m) Jaakko Vahamaa (FIN) bt [Q] Richard Williams (ENG) 11-6, 11-4, 12-10 (35m) [5] Kevin Moran (SCO) bt [Q] Yannick Lindemann (SUI) 11-7, 11-6, 11-7 (33m) Christophe Andre (FRA) bt [7] Douglas Kempsell (SCO) 11-9, 8-11, 11-1, 8-11, 11-8 (67m) Will John (WAL) bt [Q] Ondrej Uherka (CZE) 13-11, 6-11, 11-8, 11-8 (65m) Jonas Daehler (SUI) bt Anthony Brindle (GIB) 11-7, 11-9, 11-7 (32m) [3] Mahesh Mangaonkar (IND) bt Tristan Eysele (ENG) 11-4, 11-2, 11-3 (23m) [4] Reiko Peter (SUI) bt Miroslav Celler (SVK) 11-1, 11-3, 11-3 (25m) Youssef Abdalla (ENG) bt [Q] Cedric Kuchen (SUI) 11-9, 11-4, 11-5 (25m) Phillip John Bull (ENG) bt [Q] Farkas Balazs (HUN) 11-7, 11-7, 8-11, 11-7 (40m) Jakob Dirnberger (AUT) bt [8] Ondrej Ertl (CZE) 8-11, 11-9, 11-5, 11-8 (48m) [6] Chris Fuller (ENG) bt [Q] Jamie Henderson (SCO) 11-2, 11-7, 11-8 (42m) Adam Murrills (ENG) bt Carlos Cornes Ribadas (ESP) 12-10, 5-11, 11-9, 11-8 (55m) Jan van den Herrewegen (BEL) bt Arthur Moineau (FRA) 10-12, 5-11, 11-1, 11-9, 11-2 (60m) [2] Greg Lobban (SCO) bt Damien Volland (FRA) 9-1 ret.
2nd round: [1] Jan Koukal (CZE) bt [Q] Martin Svec (CZE) 11-5, 11-3, 11-5 (25m) [5] Kevin Moran (SCO) bt Jaakko Vahamaa (FIN) 11-7, 11-7, 7-11, 11-8 (36m) Christophe Andre (FRA) bt Will John (WAL) 11-7, 11-4, 11-2 (25m) [3] Mahesh Mangaonkar (IND) bt Jonas Daehler (SUI) 7-11, 11-5, 9-11, 11-3, 11-6 (66m) [4] Reiko Peter (SUI) bt Youssef Abdalla (ENG) 11-1, 8-11, 11-7, 11-3 (45m) Phillip John Bull (ENG) bt Jakob Dirnberger (AUT) 7-11, 11-8, 11-6, 11-5 (48m) [6] Chris Fuller (ENG) bt Adam Murrills (ENG) 11-5, 11-7, 11-4 (28m) [2] Greg Lobban (SCO) bt Jan van den Herrewegen (BEL) 11-6, 11-6, 11-5 (21m)
Quarter-finals: [1] Jan Koukal (CZE) bt [5] Kevin Moran (SCO) 11-8, 11-5, 11-7 (36m) [3] Mahesh Mangaonkar (IND) bt Christophe Andre (FRA) 11-3, 11-4, 13-11 (40m) [4] Reiko Peter (SUI) bt Phillip John Bull (ENG) 12-10, 11-3, 11-4 (32m) [2] Greg Lobban (SCO) bt [6] Chris Fuller (ENG) 11-7, 6-11, 11-8, 11-4 (64m)
