IVAN GRABS TITLE AFTER HARD FIGHT

Three-time national champ beat home favourite Mahesh

IT was a huge sigh of relief for national player Ivan Yuen as he clinched his first PSA Tour title of the season at the SRFI Indian Tour in Chennai on Thursday.

The victory will offer the World No 47 the confidence and motivation ahead of bigger tournaments.

The 29-year-old was struggling for results, only making the quarter-finals of one PSA Tour competition in nine events before his success in India.

The World No 47 battled hard before overcoming in-form home favourite Mahesh Mangaokar 711, 12-10, 11-6, 5-11 11-8 for the crown.

Ivan looked dead and buried as he trailed 6-3 and then 8-6 in the deciding rubber.

The three-time national champion, however, threw everything he had and was richly rewarded by scoring five-straight points to seal the win in 77 minutes.

It was his 10th career title, but a first since he won the DHA Cup in Pakistan last November.

“The win really means a lot to me because I’ve been struggling for results this year,” admitted Ivan.

“It was a tough match against Mahesh. I had to keep my mind strong to go for one point at a time right until the end.

“Now this win will definitely help boost my confidence and keep me more motivated as I continue to push myself for the season.”

It is certainly a timely boost for Ivan as he has some big matches against top opponents coming up, starting with the Egyptian Open on Oct 25-Nov 1.

He has been drawn against Hong Kong’s Max Lee in the first round, with the winner facing England’s World No 17 Darryl Selby in the second round.

After the Egyptian meet, Ivan will compete in the Men’s World Championships in Doha, Qatar on Nov 8-15.

Ivan will take on World No 7 Diego Elias of Peru in the first round.

Besides Ivan, Malaysian Open winner Ng Eain Yow is also in the mix and he meets World No 14 Fares Dessouky of Egypt in the opening round.