Mahesh, Kush in semis of British Junior Open squash

Mangaonkar defeated Egypt's Shehab Essam 9-11, 11-4, 11-4, 11-9 in 57 minutes, while Kush Kumar ousted Malaysian Mohd Syafiq Kamal 11-3, 11-13, 11-9, 11-8 after a 47-minute workout.

Mahesh Mangaonkar

Essam won the first game against Mahesh by playing hard straight drives and not giving the Indian a chance to drop or volley. Mahesh stuck with his plan and kept the pace high to finally wear down his opponent.

Kush seemed in total control after winning the first game, leading 7-4 in the second when he became defensive and lost the game in extra points. Kush regained his confidence and won the next two games. u00a0Earlier in the day, Aparajitha Balamurukan lost to Victoria Temple-Murray 10-12, 8-11, 11-9, 11-3, 11-9 in 41 minutes.