Top-seeded South African Shaun le Roux triumphed in the inaugural Northumbria Open when he beat India’s Mahesh Mangaonkar in the first PSA World Tour squash event ever to be staged in the north-eastern English city of Newcastle-upon-Tyne.
Mangaonkar, the No. 3 seed from Mumbai, made his breakthrough in the semi-finals when he fought back from two games down to upset second seed Kristian Frost Olesen in a 102-minute five-game marathon – the 20-year-old Indian’s longest winning performance on the PSA Tour – to reach his fifth Tour final.
Here is Mangaonkar’s road to the final:
1st round:
[3] Mahesh Mangaonkar (IND) bt Adam Auckland (ENG) 9-11, 11-3, 11-7, 11-3 (51m)
Quarter-finals:
[3] Mahesh Mangaonkar (IND) bt [7] Nathan Lake (ENG) 11-8, 14-12, 11-6 (48m)
Semi-finals:
[3] Mahesh Mangaonkar (IND) bt [2] Kristian Frost Olesen (DEN) 11-13, 8-11, 11-6, 11-3, 11-3 (102m)
Final:
[1] Shaun le Roux (RSA) bt [3] Mahesh Mangaonkar (IND) 11-7, 11-8, 7-11, 11-3 (56m)
