Rafa Retains Brazil Open Crown
12 September 2011
RESULTS: PSA Challenger 10 Tour De Las Americas Brazil Open, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
Final:
[2] Rafael Alarcon (BRA) bt [1] Jan Koukal (CZE) 11-8, 10-12, 11-6, 11-5 (54m)
Brazilian squash star Rafael Alarcon produced the dream result for organisers of the Tour De Las Americas Brazil Open when he successfully retained the PSA World Tour Challenger 10 title at Academia Winner in Belo Horizonte.
The second seed from Sao Paulo despatched a fellow countryman, an Italian and a Frenchman on the way to the final for the second year in a row – where he faced top seed Jan Koukal, the Czech number one ranked ten places higher in the PSA world list.
But, with the local crowd firmly behind him, the 34-year-old world No58 battled for 54 minutes to upset Koukal, aged 28, 11-8, 10-12, 11-6, 11-5.
The triumph marked the first PSA World Tour title of the year for Alarcon – but the 17th of his career, and his 11th on home soil.
Koukal & Alarcon To Contest Brazil Open Final
11 September 2011
RESULTS: PSA Challenger 10 Tour De Las Americas Brazil Open, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
1st round:
[1] Jan Koukal (CZE) bt [Q] Yuri Franca (BRA) 11-5, 9-11, 14-12, 11-4 (62m)
Gonzalo Miranda (ARG) bt Joan Lezaud (FRA) 11-9, 11-9, 2-11, 9-11, 5-7 ret. (68m)
[Q] Manoel Pereira (BRA) bt Ronivaldo Santos (BRA) w/o
[3] Christopher Gordon (USA) bt Fred Reid (CAN) 11-4, 11-0, 11-7 (26m)
[4] Fabien Verseille (FRA) bt [Q] Josimar Silva (BRA) 11-8, 11-9, 11-9 (35m)
Hernan D’Arcangelo (ARG) bt Vinicius Rodrigues (BRA) 11-8, 11-7, 11-6 (24m)
Jose Facchini (ITA) bt [Q] Ronivaldo Duarte (BRA) 11-8, 8-11, 11-9, 11-9 (55m)
[2] Rafael Alarcon (BRA) bt Pedro Veiga (BRA) 11-8, 11-3, 11-3 (26m)
Quarter-finals:
[1] Jan Koukal (CZE) bt Gonzalo Miranda (ARG) 11-3, 6-11, 11-6, 11-2 (40m)
[3] Christopher Gordon (USA) bt [Q] Manoel Pereira (BRA) 11-5, 11-8, 9-11, 11-13, 11-7 (85m)
[4] Fabien Verseille (FRA) bt Hernan D’Arcangelo (ARG) 10-12, 11-7, 2-11, 11-4, 11-6 (72m)
[2] Rafael Alarcon (BRA) bt Jose Facchini (ITA) 11-4, 2-11, 11-8, 9-11, 11-8 (68m)
Semi-finals:
[1] Jan Koukal (CZE) bt [3] Christopher Gordon (USA) 11-9, 4-11, 11-7, 11-5 (44m)
[2] Rafael Alarcon (BRA) bt [4] Fabien Verseille (FRA) 15-13, 8-11, 11-7, 11-5 (50m)
Top seeds Jan Koukal and Rafael Alarcon will contest the Tour De Las Americas Brazil Open final after surviving four-game semi-finals of the PSA World Tour Challenger 10 squash event at Academia Winner in Belo Horizonte.
Defending champion Alarcon is hoping to keep the country’s premier title in Brazilian hands for the second year in a row. The 34-year-old second seed followed his 68-minute quarter-final win over Italian Jose Facchini by beating Frenchman Fabien Verseille, the fourth seed, 15-13, 8-11, 11-7, 11-5 in a 50-minute semi.
The world No58 from Sao Paulo is celebrating the 27th PSA Tour final of his career – and his third in South America this year.
Favourite Koukal, the top-ranked player from the Czech Republic, was also tested in the quarters before overcoming Argentina’s unseeded Gonzalo Miranda in four games. And it took the world No48 from Prague a further four games to get the better of Christopher Gordon, the No3 seed from the USA, 11-9, 4-11, 11-7, 11-5 in a 44-minute semi-final.
Koukal, 28, is competing in his 15th PSA Tour event of the year – and is now celebrating his fifth final appearance in 2011, together with the 28th of his career.