Rodriguez Romps To Sao Paulo Success

Fresh from his victory in the South American Championship earlier in the month in his home country, Colombian Miguel Angel Rodriguez further emphasised his status as one of the best squash players in the region when he lifted the Mitsubishi Motors Open title in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

The second seed from Bogotá survived a tough test by Australian Raj Nanda in the quarter-finals of the $10,000 PSA Tour event before dismissing unseeded Mexican Arturo Salazar in straight games in the semis.

Jorge Isaac Baltazar Ferreira was the 21-year-old's surprise opponent in the final after the third-seeded Mexican upset local favourite Rafael F Alarcon, the top seed playing in his home town, 6-11, 11-10 (2-0), 11-10 (6-4), 11-9.

But, after coming through a tie-break in the opening game of the final, Rodriguez romped to an 11-10 (3-1), 11-8, 11-7 victory over Baltazar Ferreira to record his first Tour win over the 24-year-old from Mexico City.

The triumph marks the fourth PSA Tour title success by Rodriguez, and will surely boost the young Colombian's chances of returning to the top fifty in the next PSA world rankings.

Final:
[2] Miguel Angel Rodriguez (COL) bt [3] Jorge Isaac Baltazar Ferreira (MEX) 11-10 (3-1), 11-8, 11-7