RESULTS: XII Abierto Colombian Squash Open, Bogota, Colombia
Semi-finals:
[1] David Palmer (AUS) bt [4] Olli Tuominen (FIN) 11-5, 9-11, 11-6, 11-7 (49m)
[2] Borja Golan (ESP) bt [5] Miguel Angel Rodriguez (COL) 9-11, 11-7, 11-4, 11-13, 15-13 (126m)
David Palmer and Borja Golan will contest the final of the XII Abierto Colombian Open after surviving contrasting semi-finals in the $30,000 PSA World Tour squash championship at Club El Nogal in the Colombia capital Bogota.
Second seed Borja Golan, the world No11 from Spain, faced local hero Miguel Angel Rodriguez, the fifth seed from Bogota who claimed an unexpected place in the last four after upsetting Malaysia’s third seed Mohd Azlan Iskandar.
After losing the first game, match favourite Golan battled against his opponent and the partisan crowd to move 2/1 ahead. But underdog Rodriguez, the world No25 and highest-ranked Colombian of all-time, raced to a 10-4 advantage in the fourth.
But an incredible fight back restored the lead for the Spaniard – taking Golan to match ball. However, the 23-year-old Colombian battled back to force a fifth-game decider – much to the delight of the delirious crowd!
The final game also went to a tie-break – and this time Golan needed five match balls before eventually subduing his opponent after 126 minutes, winning 9-11, 11-7, 11-4, 11-13, 15-13 in the second longest match of the year on the PSA Tour.
The marathon victory takes 26-year-old Golan into the 27th Tour final of his career, and his second this year.
By contrast, Palmer needed just 49 minutes to overcome long-time Tour rival Olli Tuominen, the No4 seed from Finland.
"Palmer clearly demonstrated why he is the No1 seed of the tournament," said tournament spokesman Juan Carlos Santacruz. "He initiated the match with firmness, defining long shots, anticipating with great speed and surprising his opponent with boasts from both sides of the court."
With the altitude conditions affecting both players as the match progressed, it was the former world number one from Australia who ultimately prevailed, winning 11-5, 9-11, 11-6, 11-7 to reach the 53rd final of his career, and the third this year.
The final will mark only the third lifetime meeting between Palmer and Golan - but the second this year after the pair contested a semi-final in the Bluenose Classic in February, after which the Australian went on to win the PSA title in Canada.