Rodriguez Beats Barrington In Bogotá

Local star Miguel Angel Rodriguez thrilled the packed and partisan crowd at the Bogotá Tennis Club when he upset second seed Joey Barrington in the quarter-finals of the Bogotá Tennis Club Circuito Mundial De Squash to become the only Colombian through to the last four of the new 2-star PSA Tour event in the Colombian capital Bogotá.

Rodriguez, the 21-year-old South American champion from Bogotá, took 61 minutes to overcome his higher ranked English opponent 11-8, 7-11, 11-6, 11-5 to record one of his best results on the PSA Tour.

The fifth seed now faces No3 seed Eric Galvez, the Mexican who repeated his Pan American Games final victory over Julian Illingworth by beating the seventh seed from the USA 6-11, 11-10 (2-0), 11-6, 11-9 in an 87-minute marathon.

There will also be South American interest in the other semi-final when Brazilian Rafael F Alarcon takes on top-seeded Spaniard Borja Golan.

Alarcon, the sixth seed, ended the brave run of Mexican qualifier Arturo Salazar - beating the 19-year-old 11-5, 11-6, 11-4. Golan had an easier ride, romping to victory after just two games when his opponent Jorge Isaac Baltazar Ferreira, the No8 seed, was forced to retire with a throat infection, with the score standing at 11-3, 11-6.

Quarter-finals:
[1] Borja Golan (ESP) bt [8] Jorge Isaac Baltazar Ferreira (MEX) 11-3, 11-6 ret.
[6] Rafael F Alarcon (BRA) bt [Q] Arturo Salazar (MEX) 11-5, 11-6, 11-4 (31m)
[3] Eric Galvez (MEX) bt [7] Julian Illingworth (USA) 6-11, 11-10 (2-0), 11-6, 11-9 (87m)
[5] Miguel Angel Rodriguez (COL) bt [2] Joey Barrington (ENG) 11-8, 7-11, 11-6, 11-5 (61m)