Indian squash ace Mahesh Mangaonkar had to work hard to book his place in the second round of PSA $15,000 Sekisui Open at Kriens, Switzerland on Wednesday. Mangaonkar, seeded fifth, overcame a spirited fight from the 135th ranked French youngster, Baptiste Masotti 12-10, 12-10, 7-11, 11-7.
The 65th ranked Indian next faces World No. 170 Bernat Jaume of Spain for a berth in the last-eight stage of the tournament.
The 21-year-old Indian returned to the PSA Tour last month after a health-related hiatus. He reached the semi-finals of the Cactus Classic and then lost in the first round of qualifying at the prestigious Windy City Open. He would surely be looking for a confidence-boosting performance at the Sekisui Open.
Mangaonkar is the only Indian playing at this event. The tournament’s top two seeds are the 36th ranked Greg Lobban and the 48th ranked Raphael Kandra.
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