Mahesh Marches To Nimes Success by Howard Harding 6 January 2014 - Mahesh Mangaonkar began the New Year the way he ended 2013 - with title success on the PSA World Tour!
The Indian teenager
claimed the first Tour title of the year when he despatched top-seeded
Scot Greg Lobban in the final of the Open du Gard, the PSA Challenger 5
squash event marking its sixth year at Squash des Arenes in Nimes,
France.
Third seed Mangaonkar
made his breakthrough in the semi-finals when he crushed second-seeded
Kuwaiti Ammar Altamimi in just 28 minutes,
Now in the fourth Tour
final of his career, the 19-year-old from Mumbai had a point to prove
when he faced Lobban, a 21-year-old from Edinburgh enjoying his eighth
Tour final.
Mangaonkar's success
in last month's Imet Open in Slovakia came after a five-game final
victory over Lobban - the result of which is that both now players
share a World No.82 ranking.
Revenge looked on the
cards when Lobban (pictured above, left, with Mangaonkar) took the
opening game - but Mangaonkar struck back to win the next three to
claim his 9-11, 11-3, 11-4, 11-5 title triumph in 64 minutes.
The win, his third on the PSA Tour, also set up a nine-match winning streak for the Mumbai teenager - the longest of his career.
"First win of 2014 in
Nimes," Mangaonkar told his Twitter followers later. "Hopefully more to
come this year. Now preparing for German league in January and Finland
next month."
RESULTS: PSA Challenger 5 Open du Gard, Nimes, France
1st round: [1] Greg Lobban (SCO) bt Adam Murrills (ENG) 11-6, 13-11, 11-7 (41m) [8] Tom de Mulder (BEL) bt Jonathan Geekie (SCO) 11-8, 11-6, 11-8 (30m) Christophe Andre (FRA) bt [6] Thoboki Mohohlo (RSA) 11-4, 11-6, 3-11, 8-11, 11-7 (70m) [4] Alejandro Garbi Caro (ESP) bt [Q] Arthur Moineau (FRA) 11-4, 11-13, 12-10, 3-1 ret. (50m) [3] Mahesh Mangaonkar (IND) bt [Q] Ollie Holland (ENG) 11-4 ret. Youssef Abdalla (ENG) bt [5] Kevin Moran (SCO) 11-9, 7-11, 11-5, 11-1 (47m) [7] Bader Al Hussaini (KUW) bt [Q] Jonas Daehler (SUI) 11-8, 12-14, 18-16, 2-11, 11-5 (56m) [2] Ammar Altamimi (KUW) bt [Q] Cedric Kuchen (SUI) 11-7, 11-8, 11-3 (24m)
