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David Palmer Wins
Epic Colombian Open Final
After an epic 104-minute final of the XII Abierto Colombian Open
- in which second seed Borja Golan was forced to retire at
12-12 in the decider - favourite David Palmer emerged
triumphant in the $30,000 PSA World Tour squash championship
at Club El Nogal in the Colombia capital Bogota.
"With no doubt whatsoever, Palmer and Golan played the best final of
the 12 editions of the Colombian Open, which unfortunately ended
with the injury of Golan in the tie break of the fifth and final
game," said tournament spokesman Juan Carlos Santacruz.
"It was 100 minutes of intense squash, deep, technical, thoughtful
and emotive. Four of the five games played were defined in a tie
break demonstrating the parity of level of the players."
Palmer, the world No6 from Australia competing in his 53rd Tour
final, took the opening game - but Spaniard Golan upped the tempo in
an ill-tempered second game before drawing level, again after a
tie-break.
The 33-year-old from New South Wales reclaimed the advantage after
the third - but again Golan came back, taking advantage of several
unforced errors from Palmer to force the match into a decider.
"The final game was the best of all the games played in the
tournament," added Santacruz.
Despite surviving a 126-minute five-game semi-final, world No11
Golan maintained the pressure on his higher-ranked opponent and
impressed the crowd with his winning back hand drop shots that left
Palmer stranded.
But the Australian would not surrender - and the more he was under
pressure, the better shots he played! And it was a drop shot that
ultimately won Palmer the title - as Golan injured his knee
attempting to retrieve the shot, and was forced to concede the
match.
"It was truly an unexpected outcome for the final and sad for the
crowd that cheered for Borja," concluded Santacruz. "Palmer became
the champion."
The win marks the third Tour title of the year for Palmer, and takes
the US-based former world number one's career tally to 26, more than
any other player currently on the PSA World Tour.
Top Seeds Palmer
& Golan To Contest Colombian Open Final
David Palmer
and Borja Golan will contest the final of the XII Abierto
Colombian Open after surviving contrasting semi-finals in the
$30,000 PSA World Tour squash championship at Club El
Nogal in the Colombia capital Bogota.
Second seed Borja Golan, the world No11 from Spain, faced local hero
Miguel Angel Rodriguez, the fifth seed from Bogota who
claimed an unexpected place in the last four after upsetting
Malaysia’s third seed Mohd Azlan Iskandar.
After losing the first game, match favourite Golan battled against
his opponent and the partisan crowd to move 2/1 ahead. But underdog
Rodriguez, the world No25 and highest-ranked Colombian of all-time,
raced to a 10-4 advantage in the fourth.
But an incredible fight back restored the lead for the Spaniard –
taking Golan to match ball. However, the 23-year-old Colombian
battled back to force a fifth-game decider – much to the delight of
the delirious crowd!
The final game also went to a tie-break – and this time Golan needed
five match balls before eventually subduing his opponent after 126
minutes, winning 9-11, 11-7, 11-4, 11-13, 15-13 in the second
longest match of the year on the PSA Tour.
The marathon victory takes 26-year-old Golan into the 27th Tour
final of his career, and his second this year.
By
contrast, Palmer needed just 49 minutes to overcome long-time Tour
rival Olli Tuominen, the No4 seed from Finland.
"Palmer clearly demonstrated why he is the No1 seed of the
tournament," said tournament spokesman Juan Carlos Santacruz.
"He initiated the match with firmness, defining long shots,
anticipating with great speed and surprising his opponent with
boasts from both sides of the court."
With the altitude conditions affecting both players as the match
progressed, it was the former world number one from Australia who
ultimately prevailed, winning 11-5, 9-11, 11-6, 11-7 to reach the
53rd final of his career, and the third this year.
The final will mark only the third lifetime meeting between Palmer
and Golan - but the second this year after the pair contested a
semi-final in the Bluenose Classic in February, after which
the Australian went on to win the PSA title in Canada.
Local Hero
Miguel Makes Bogota Semis
Local hero Miguel Angel Rodriguez delighted his fans at
Club El Nogal in Bogota when he pulled off a sensational
upset in the XII Abierto Colombian Open by beating Malaysia’s
third seed Mohd Azlan Iskandar to reach the semi-finals
of the $30,000 PSA World Tour squash championship in the
Colombian capital.
The hard training defending champion Rodriguez put in before the
event in his home club clearly paid off handsomely for the
23-year-old Colombian number one when he beat Iskandar, the world
No16, 11-8, 10-12, 11-7, 12-10 in 52 minutes to record the biggest
scalp of his career.
Fifth seed Rodriguez, ranked 25 in the world, will now face Spain’s
Borja Golan, the No2 seed. Golan, the world No11 who lost to
the Colombian in their last meeting in Brazil over a year ago, beat
seventh seed Arturo Salazar when the Mexican retired injured
after twisting his ankle, with the score standing at 11-7, 11-2, 9-4
to the Spaniard.
Salazar’s twin brother also fell at the quarter-final stage.
Cesar Salazar became the only qualifier to survive the first
round after upsetting fellow Mexican Jorge Isaac Baltazar
Ferreira. The underdog stretched top seed David
Palmer to four games in the quarters – but the former world
number one from Australia ultimately recorded his anticipated
victory 11-4, 11-2, 9-11, 11-3 in 34 minutes.
Cesar Salazar
Battles To Bogota Quarter-Finals
Cesar Salazar
became the only qualifier to progress beyond the first round of the
XII Abierto Colombian Open when he upset fellow Mexican
Jorge Isaac Baltazar Ferreira, the No8 seed, in the $30,000
PSA World Tour squash championship in its fifth successive year
at Club El Nogal in the Colombia capital Bogota.
The 21-year-old from San Luis Potosi, ranked 81 in the world, fought
back from two games down to beat last year’s runner-up, the world
No47, 8-11, 4-11, 11-9, 11-7, 11-4 in 68 minutes.
Salazar will now face biggest match of his career when he takes on
top seed David Palmer, the former world number one and world
champion from Australia who is making his debut in the event.
Palmer, ranked six in the world, took just 17 minutes to despatch
Mexican qualifier Erik Tepos Valtierra – ranked more than 150
places lower in the PSA list - 11-4, 11-3, 11-4.
Salazar will be joined in the last eight by his twin brother
Arturo Salazar, the No7 seed who beat US opponent Gilly Lane
11-6, 11-8, 11-4.
Arturo – in the opposite half of the draw from his sibling – will
now line up against Spaniard Borja Golan, the second seed who
ousted Colombian wildcard Arturo Jaramillo 11-6, 11-4, 11-2.
Fifth seed Miguel Angel Rodriguez successfully began the
defence of his title with an 11-3, 11-9, 11-3 victory over Irishman
Liam Kenny. The Colombian number one now looks forward to a
clash with third seed Mohd Azlan Iskandar, the Malaysian
making his first appearance in the event since 2002.
Iskandar defeated Brazilian qualifier Rafael F Alarcon 11-5,
14-12, 11-9.
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