Kumar Cuts Down Iqbal in Victorian Open

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19-year-old Kush Kumar claimed arguably one of the biggest scalps of his burgeoning career as he upset second seed Nasir Iqbal in the first round of the Victorian Open, PSA M15 event.

The unseeded Chennai-based player, who is searching for back-to-back successes after capturing his first PSA World Tour title earlier this month, edged out a dramatic opener on the tie-break before Pakistani No.1 Iqbal brought the match back to all square. World No.159 Kumar showed a further demonstration of his precocious talent in the third and fourth games to secure the win against his higher-ranked opponent with a score of 12-10, 6-11, 11-7, 11-7.

“This was the first time I played Nasir Iqbal, Pakistan’s No.1 and it was a good win for me and a tough match,” said Kumar.

“I just decided to play on the PSA World Tour this year and I’m looking forward to tomorrow’s match. I’m very happy to have won and it should move me up the rankings a bit.”

Kumar goes on to the second round where he will face-off against Kiwi Kashif Shuja after he fought for a titanic five-game victory over Manuel Wanner in his first round fixture.

Ryan Cuskelly is also through to the next round after easing past Robert Downer and will look forward to a clash with Farhan Zaman after the World No.76 overcame a stern test from Lance Beddoes. Mahesh Mangaonkar moved past the opening round after dispatching Wildcard Thomas Calvert and is set to meet Joshua Larkin who impressed on home-soil as he took out Chris van der Salm.

Greg Lobban added to a strong British contingent in the second round thanks to his win over Mike Corren. The Australian made an impressive return to the PSA World Tour with notable scalps in qualifying but Lobban proved a step too far for the 41-year-old. Zac Alexander saw off Lobban’s compatriot Douglas Kempsell in his first round match and will face the Scotsman in round two.

Results – First Round: Victorian Open 2015
[1] Ryan Cuskelly (AUS) bt Robert Downer (ENG) 3-0: 11-0, 11-7, 11-7 (33m)
Farhan Zaman (PAK) bt Lance Beddoes (NZL) 3-1:10-12, 11-9, 11-9, 11-9 (45m)
Matthew Hopkin (AUS) bt [Q] Mike Lewis (USA) 3-0: 11-6, 11-5, 11-9
[7] Paul Coll (NZL) bt [Q] Martin Svec (CZE) 3-0: 11-6, 11-5, 11-3 (26m)
[8] Jaymie Haycocks (ENG) bt [Q] Ondrej Uherka (CZE) 3-0: 14-12, 11-7, 11-5 (40m)
Sanjay Singh Chal (MAS) bt [Q] Darcy Evans (AUS) 3-0: 11-3, 12-10, 11-5 (35m)
Joshua Larkin (AUS) bt [Q] Chris van der Salm (NZL) 3-1: 11-6, 12-14, 11-8, 11-7 (59m)
[3] Mahesh Mangaonkar (IND) bt [WC] Thomas Calvert (AUS) 3-0: 11-5, 11-6, 11-5 (32m)
[4] Greg Lobban (SCO) bt [Q] Mike Corren (AUS) 3-0: 12-10, 11-5, 11-6 (34m)
Zac Alexander (AUS) bt Douglas Kempsell (SCO) 3-1: 11-8, 11-4, 15-17, 11-6 (70m)
Joel Makin (WAL) bt Jonathan Maloney (ENG) 3-0: 12-10, 11-4, 11-2 (28m)
[5] Rex Hedrick (AUS) bt Evan Williams (NZL) 3-0: 11-6, 11-5, 11-9 (72m)
[6] Steven Finitsis (AUS) bt Ben Grindrod (NZL) 3-0: 11-3, 11-2, 11-7 (32m)
[Q] Joshua Masters (ENG) bt Rhys Dowling (AUS) 3-1: 9-11, 11-7, 11-8, 11-2 (43m)
Kashif Shuja (NZL) bt [Q] Manuel Wanner (SUI) 3-2: 5-11, 11-8, 11-13, 13-11, 11-3 (63m)
Kush Kumar (IND) bt [2] Nasir Iqbal (PAK) 3-1: 12-10, 6-11, 11-7, 11-7 (47m)

Draw – Second Round
[1] Ryan Cuskelly (AUS) v Farhan Zaman (PAK)
Matthew Hopkin (AUS) v [7] Paul Coll (NZL)
[8] Jaymie Haycocks (ENG) v Sanjay Singh Chal (MAS)
Joshua Larkin (AUS) v [3] Mahesh Mangaonkar (IND)
[4] Greg Lobban (SCO) v Zac Alexander (AUS)
Joel Makin (WAL) v [5] Rex Hedrick (AUS)
[6] Steven Finitsis (AUS) v [Q] Joshua Masters (ENG)
Kashif Shuja (NZL) v Kush Kumar (IND)