Mighty
Miguel Wins Medellin Crown
Colombian squash star Miguel Angel Rodriguez delighted the packed
and partisan crowd at the Club Campestre de Medellin in
Medellin when he beat Andrew Wagih Shoukry in the final of
the Campestre PSA Medellin Open to win the inaugural PSA World
Tour Challenger 10 event in his home country.
"It
was a vibrant match from beginning to end," said tournament spokesman
Juan Carlos Santacruz of the much-anticipated clash between top seed
Rodriguez, the world No27 from Bogota, and third seed Shoukry, the
21-year-old from Cairo who upset second-seeded Finn Henrik Mustonen
to make the final.
"The
Egyptian always faithful to his style attacked constantly yet covered
every part of the court; it seemed small due to his incredible coverage
of the court, yet Rodriguez compensated this with his speed, precision
and rhythm," added Santacruz.
After
surviving a long first game tie-break, Rodriguez went on to close out
the match 14-12, 11-5, 11-9 in 45 minutes to earn the 19th PSA Tour
title of his career, and his third on home soil.
Shoukry Outshines Mustonen In Medellin
Egypt's Andrew Wagih Shoukry shook off determined opposition by
Henrik Mustonen in the semi-finals of the Campestre PSA
Medellin Open to upset the second-seeded Finn in the inaugural
PSA World Tour Challenger 10 squash event at Club Campestre de
Medellin in Medellin, Colombia.
"Mustonen
won the first game, he pressured with deep lengths and rhythm changes
while Wagih was erratic," explained tournament spokesman Juan Carlos
Santacruz.
"Afterwards everything changed, Wagih became more precise in his attack;
Mustonen's shots didn't seem to pass the mid court while the Egyptian's
shots became generous and prolific, winning three consecutive games to
the final."
Shoukry's 7-11, 11-4, 11-8, 11-9 victory in 50 minutes takes the
21-year-old from Cairo into the 12th PSA Tour final of his career - and
his second in South America this year.
Colombian favourite Miguel Angel Rodriguez had a much easier
route to the final when Welsh opponent Peter Creed, the No4 seed,
was forced to retire early in the opening game with the score at 6-1.
"Semi-final withdrawal - hamstring strain!" tweeted Creed later. "Need
to try and get ready for Bogota and Cartagena."
World
No27 Rodriguez, the top-ranked Colombian from Bogota, is celebrating his
maiden Tour final of the year - but the 26th of his career and his third
on home soil.
Home
Hero Rodriguez Rallies To Medellin Semis
Top-seeded Colombian Miguel Angel Rodriguez kept hopes of local
success alive in the Campestre PSA Medellin Open when he beat
Argentina's Hernan D'Arcangelo to reach the semi-finals of the
inaugural PSA World Tour Challenger 10 squash event at Club
Campestre de Medellin in Medellin, Colombia.
A
confident performance by the world No27 from Bogota saw Rodriguez
despatch his fellow South American 11-3, 11-6, 11-9 in just 30 minutes
to set up a meeting with Welshman Peter Creed.
Fourth
seed Creed, the Welsh champion, defeated Canadian Dane Sharp
13-11, 6-11, 11-8, 11-7.
But
third seed Andrew Wagih Shoukry was taken the full distance
before earning his anticipated place in the last four.
"Wagih, 21, started playing with anxiety but with time he became more
precise in his winning shots and in five games he advanced to the
semi-finals," said tournament spokesman Juan Carlos Santacruz
after the Egyptian's 6-11, 11-5, 11-7, 9-11, 11-3 defeat of England's
Jaymie Haycocks in 62 minutes.
Shoukry will now face Finland's Henrik Mustonen for a place in
the final. The second seed maintained his straight games run in the
event with an 11-7, 11-8, 11-8 victory over Gonzalo Miranda of
Argentina.
Seeds
Make Medellin Quarters
The
top four seeds safely made it through to the quarter-finals of the
Campestre PSA Medellin Open after surviving contrasting first round
matches in the inaugural PSA World Tour Challenger 10 squash
event at Club Campestre de Medellin in Medellin, Colombia.
Fourth
seed Peter Creed, the Welshman who won the Gibraltar Open
in his last outing on the PSA Tour, survived the longest battle of the
day against unseeded Mexican Erik Tepos Valtierra. After winning
the first game, Creed suffered a series of unforced errors which caused
his lower-ranked opponent to draw level.
"In
spite of this, the Welshman played with precision, and won the tie-break
in the third game," said tournament spokesman Juan Carlos Santacruz.
"He knew when to attack and won the match."
The
11-7, 9-11, 12-10, 11-4 victory in 82 minutes takes Creed through to a
quarter-final clash with Dane Sharp, a Canadian who also arrived
in Colombia fresh from PSA World Tour title success, at last week's
National Squash Academy Open in his home town Toronto.
Sharp
defeated Daniel Rios, a 24-year-old Colombian who qualified
against expectation to make his maiden appearance in a PSA Tour event.
Colombian interest in the event is being led with distinction by the
country's top-ranked player Miguel Angel Rodriguez. The world
No27 from Bogota imposed his authority on Mexican Alfredo Avila
to beat the 21-year-old from Mexico City 11-8, 15-13, 12-10 in 65
minutes.
"The
best game of the night," said Santacruz.
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