Salazar Upsets
Galvez For Guatemala Title
National pride
was at stake when fellow Mexicans Eric Galvez and Arturo Salazar
battled for the Internacional Sporta Open title after reaching the final
of the $15,000 PSA World Tour squash event at Sporta in Santa
Catarina Pinula, Guatemala.
And for the
second time since their last Tour meeting in November 2008, it was underdog
Salazar who prevailed.
The second
seed from San Luis Potosi took the opening two games against Galvez, the top
seed.
But world No51
Galvez fought back to take the next two games to draw level.
Salazar,
ranked three places lower, held his nerve, however, and took the decider to
claim his title-winning 11-2, 11-9, 6-11, 10-12, 11-6 victory.
The success
extends Salazar's unbeaten record in PSA Tour finals, bringing his career
tally to five titles - and boost his chances of overtaking rival Galvez in the
PSA world rankings to become the top-ranked Mexican for the first time.
Galvez &
Salazar To Contest All-Mexican Sporta Open Final
Top seeds
Eric Galvez and Arturo Salazar will contest an all-Mexican final of
the Internacional Sporta Open after surviving contrasting semi-finals in
the $15,000 PSA World Tour squash event at Sporta in Santa
Catarina Pinula, Guatemala.
Favourite
Galvez twice had to stem fight-backs from third seed Stephane Galifi
before beating the France-based Italian 13-11, 2-11, 15-13, 8-11, 11-6.
The win takes
Panamerican Champion Galvez into the 19th PSA Tout final of his career, but the
first this year.
Second seed
Arturo Salazar maintained his unbeaten run over his twin brother Cesar
Salazar when he despatched the fourth seed 11-4, 11-5, 11-6.
The
22-year-old from San Luis Potosi is now celebrating his fifth Tour final
appearance - and will be hoping to maintain his impressive unbeaten run after
emerging triumphant in the previous four!
Salazar Twins
Line Up For Sporta Open Semi
Mexican twins
Arturo Salazar and Cesar Salazar will face each other for the
first time in the main draw of a PSA World Tour squash event when they
contest the semi-finals of the $15,000 Internacional Sporta Open at
Sporta in Santa Catarina Pinula, Guatemala.
The
22-year-olds from San Luis Potosi both overcame their quarter-final opponents in
straight games - world No54 Arturo, the second seed, despatching Egyptian
qualifier Omar El Kashef 11-5, 11-6, 11-8, while Cesar, the fourth seed
ranked 14 places below his brother, ousted England's sixth seed Eddie
Charlton 11-9, 11-2, 11-6.
There will
also be Mexican interest in the other semi-final where favourite Eric Galvez
takes on Italian Stephane Galifi. Galvez, the world No51 from Puebla,
defeated seventh-seeded Englishman James Snell 11-9, 11-5, 11-3, while
France-based Galifi, the No3 seed, ended qualifier Rodrigo Torres' run -
beating the 29-year-old Colombian 11-5, 11-5, 11-6.
Torres Topples
Fifth Seed In Sporta Open
Despite more
than 300 world ranking positions separating the pair, Colombian qualifier
Rodrigo Torres took out fifth-seeded US opponent Christopher Gordon
in the first round of the Internacional Sporta Open to claim an
unexpected place in the quarter-finals of the $15,000 PSA World Tour
squash event at Sporta in Santa Catarina Pinula, Guatemala.
The
29-year-old from Bogota - ranked 402 in the world - celebrated his maiden first
round Tour win in six attempts since 2005 when he despatched Gordon, the world
No82, 11-9, 6-11, 11-5, 11-4.
Torres will
now take on top seed Eric Galvez, the world No51 from Mexico who beat
English qualifier Anthony Graham 11-5, 5-11, 11-8, 11-4.
There was
further qualifying success when Egyptian Omar El Kashef defeated
eighth-seeded Englishman Chris Truswell 11-6, 11-4, 6-11, 11-9.
El Kashef,
ranked 203 in the world, now faces Mexico's Arturo Salazar, the world
No54 who ousted Canadian Matthew Serediak 11-4, 11-4, 11-5.
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