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Kush Kumar sprang a surprise in the opening round of the Victorian Open by ousting No. 2 seed Nasir Iqbal 12-10, 6-11, 11-7, 11-7.
The 19-year-old edged his Pakistani opponent in a tight first game. Iqbal bounced back brilliantly in the second game by putting pressure on Kumar’s backhand. Kumar held his nerve in the third and fourth games as he outsmarted Iqbal with deft play.
Earlier this week, Kumar won his first Professional Squash Association (PSA) title at the Tasmanian Open beating Jamie Haycocks in straight games in the final.
Kumar’s next opponent is New Zealand’s Kashif Shuja. The World No. 155 beat Switzerland’s Manuel Wanner 5-11, 11-8, 11-13, 13-11, 11-3 in 63 minutes in the first round.
No. 3 seed Mahesh Mangaonkar also reached the second round with a comfortable 11-5, 11-6, 11-5 win over Australia’s Thomas Calvert.
