BY AMANPREET SINGH From Singapore Today

Rhamanan claims massive scalp at Atlanta Open

Singapore squash pro defeats sixth seed, credits US training stint

SINGAPORE — He went into the 2016 Atlanta Squash Open ranked as the lowest seed and faced a daunting task against the tournament’s sixth seed in the first round.

Despite that, Singapore squash professional Vivian Rhamanan defied the odds to pull off a surprise win.

The 30-year-old, who is currently in the United States for a self-funded training stint, and had entered the tournament as a wildcard entry, fought valiantly as he stormed back from two sets down to defeat Cameron Stafford from the Cayman Islands (2-11, 5-11, 12-10, 10-6, 11-4) yesterday morning.

Rhamanan’s win was made all the more special by the fact that he defeated an opponent ranked 141 in the Professional Squash Association (PSA) men’s rankings — 203 places higher than his world ranking of 344.

“In the first two sets, there was no rhythm in the play so I figured I had to get some rallies going,” said Rhamanan, who forked out S$9,000 of his savings to make the month-long trip after the Singapore Squash Rackets Association paid for his airfare.

“I would say the key turning point was in the third set when I was 4-8 down but ended up winning 12-10. That gave me the confidence for my subsequent sets and I could tell he (Stafford) was getting really frustrated because he was so close to defeating me in straight sets.”

He added: “Stafford is a player known for his racquet skills but I have never seen him play before. Hence, to cause the only upset of the opening round is a testament to all the hard work I have been putting in of late.”

The Atlanta Open, which has a winner’s purse of US$10,000 (S$13,835), is an M10 series event, which is a level higher than the Queensland Open and Mackay Open that he competed in last November.

While he has another titanic clash to look forward to in the quarter-finals today — against the tournament’s top seed, Abdulla Al Tamimi from Qatar — Rhamanan expressed his delight with how his training stint has gone so far.

He spent the last two weeks training intensively in Minneapolis under the guidance of renowned coach Mubashir Gul, whose pupils included Malaysia’s former world No 7, Ong Beng Hee.

IMAGE: Singapore’s Vivian Rhamanan, who has a world ranking of 344, defeated the 141st-ranked Cameron Stafford of the Cayman Islands, at the Atlanta Squash Open yesterday. Photo: Wee Teck Hian

For more on this story go to: http://www.todayonline.com/sports/rhamanan-claims-massive-scalp-atlanta-open