SPO-SQUASH-MANGAONKAR

Tandon in semis, but Mangonkar knocked out
    Mumbai, Jan 10 (PTI) National champion Mahesh
Mangaonkar was knocked out of the USD 70,000 CCI International
JSW Indian Squash Circuit by former world number one James
Willstrop of England here Thursday.
    World no. 66 Mangaonkar gave Willstrop, seeded fifth
in the tournament with a current world ranking of 16, some
tough time before going down in the quarter-finals in four
games, 3-11, 16-18, 11-8, 9-11 after a prolonged fight for
supremacy lasting 67 minutes.
    Mangaonkar's exit meant that only 26-year-old former
junior national champion Ramit Tandon from India is left in
the semi-final draw.
    Tandon, ranked 68th in the world, entered the last
four for the second successive time in the PSA event when
defending champion and world no. 12 Saurav Ghosal pulled out
from their quarter-final match due to a calf injury that he
had sustained Wednesday.
    The third-seeded former multiple-time national
champion and the tournaments third seed had secured a 3-1 win
over Egypts Mohamed Reda on way to the last eight Wednesday
night.
    But the victory became bitter-sweet as Ghosal couldnt
continue in the tournament and withdrew from the draw.
    The Kolkata-based Tandon thus gained a walkover and a
place in the semi-finals andagainst the no. 1 seed Tarek
Momen of Egypt.
    Momen, the world no. 4, quelled the strong challenge
from Spains Iker Pajares Bernabeu after a 65-minute battle.
The former won 11-8, 11-9, 8-11, 11-7 in the quarter-final.
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