Rodriguez Celebrates Home Success In Colombian Open

Miguel Angel Rodriguez defeated Mexican Jorge Isaac Baltazar Ferreira in the final of the XI Abierto Colombian Open to become the first home winner of his country's national open squash title.

It was a double celebration for the 22-year-old from Bogotá - already the highest-ranked Colombian of all-time - whose ninth PSA Tour title success at the Club El Nogal in his hometown was also his biggest, his first 3-star $30,000 Tour trophy.

The second seed reached the final after surviving a marathon 99-minute semi-final against Arturo Salazar, the No7 seed from Mexico. But unseeded Baltazar Ferreira strung together three successive upsets over high-ranked players to reach the Bogotá climax - including the scalp of top-seeded Englishman Adrian Grant in the quarter-finals.

But in the final, urged on by a packed partisan crowd at Club El Nogal, Rodriguez romped to an 11-6, 9-11, 11-5, 11-5 victory over the Mexican in 48 minutes.

"The end came with the applause of close to 500 spectators, that gave their love to this exceptional athlete, that gave them back, to the audience and his club, a PSA title, that barely five years ago was a dream that seemed unreachable," commented event spokesman Juan Carlos Santacruz.

Final:
[2] Miguel Angel Rodriguez (COL) bt Jorge Isaac Baltazar Ferreira (MEX) 11-6, 9-11, 11-5, 11-5 (48m)