Knight Survives Manitoba Marathon

New Zealander Martin Knight survived a near two-hour marathon to earn a place in the main draw of the ADL Optical/Rodenstock Manitoba Open in Winnipeg, Canada.

The 22-year-old from Auckland beat Australian Paul Davis 8-11 11-5 10-11 11-9 11-7 in 115 minutes to earn a first round match against Frenchman Jean-Michel Arcucci, the fourth seed.

In another extended qualifying final battle, England's Laurence Delasaux beat New Zealand's Campbell Grayson 8-11 11-3 11-5 8-11 11-9 in 80 minutes to set up a first round meeting with Canada's top seed Shahier Razik, winner of the PSA Tour title two years ago.

Qualifying finals:
Robin Clarke (CAN) bt Ian Power (CAN) 11-6, 11-10 (2-0), 11-7 (45m)
Laurence Delasaux (ENG) bt Campbell Grayson (NZL) 8-11, 11-3, 11-5, 8-11, 11-9 (80m)
Steve Finitsis (AUS) bt Patrick Bedore (CAN) 11-9, 11-9, 11-4 (65m)
Martin Knight (NZL) bt Paul Davis (AUS) 8-11, 11-5, 10-11 (4-6), 11-9, 11-7 (115m)