Gordon & Donegan Boost North American Interest In New Bogotá Tour Event
Qualifying finals:
Christopher Gordon (USA) bt Rodrigo Pezzota (ARG) 11-8, 11-10 (4-2), 9-11, 11-10 (2-0)
Roberto Pezzota (ARG) bt Javier Castilla Conde (COL) 10-11 (1-3), 11-7, 11-9, 11-8
Ryan Donegan (USA) bt Gonzalo Tapiz (ARG) 10-11 (0-2), 11-2, 11-10 (5-3), 11-3
Scott Arnold (AUS) bt Matias Valenzuela (ARG) 9-11, 11-3, 11-8, 11-1
Christopher Gordon and Ryan Donegan will boost North American interest in the Club El Nogal Circuito Mundial De Squash after defeating a pair of Argentineans in the qualifying finals of the inaugural PSA Tour event at Club El Nogal in the Colombian capital Bogotá.
New Yorker Gordon defeated Rodrigo Pezzota 11-8, 11-10 (4-2), 9-11, 11-10 (2-0), while Chicago-born Donegan beat Gonzalo Tapiz 10-11 (0-2), 11-2, 11-10 (5-3), 11-3.
In the first major squash event to be held in Colombia since the nation stunned the squash world by taking the team gold medal in the Pan American Games in July, Gordon will face Mexico's individual gold medallist Eric Galvez, the fifth seed, in the first round - while Donegan will take on England's No4 seed Joey Barrington.
Pan Am Games enthusiasts will relish the $25,000 PSA Tour event's first round encounter between Colombia's seventh seed Miguel Angel Rodriguez and the US champion Julian Illingworth - a replay of the dramatic 95-minute semi-final encounter between the pair which Illingworth won before taking the sliver medal behind Galvez in the final.
Updated 1st round draw:
[1] Adrian Grant (ENG) v Bernardo Samper (COL)
[8] Rafael F Alarcon (BRA) v Ernesto Lucena (COL)
[3] Borja Golan (ESP) v [Q] Roberto Pezzota (ARG)
[5] Eric Galvez (MEX) v [Q] Christopher Gordon (USA)
[6] Shawn Delierre (CAN) v Simon Rosner (GER)
[4] Joey Barrington (ENG) v [Q] Ryan Donegan (USA)
[7] Miguel Angel Rodriguez (COL) v Julian Illingworth (USA)
[2] Peter Barker (ENG) v [Q] Scott Arnold (AUS)