2010 Costa Rica Squash Open: Canada’s Triumphant Robin Clarke
Ranked 80 in the World, Canada’s Robin Clarke made his mark in the game of squash upon clinching the 2010 Tour De Las Americas – Costa Rica Squash Open. The 24-year old sportsman defeated Frenchman, Fabien Verseille at the Costa Rica Tennis Club, San Jose,
in the championship final.
With a record number of spectators witnessing the final, the two professionals stood tied up in the first set of the match. However, right before the set was brought to a close, an accidental collision between the two brought the match to a half an hour
halt.
As the match resumed, Clarke took the first set twelve points to ten. Nevertheless, Verseille bounced back in the second set only to take it eleven points to three. After being distracted for a short period of time, Clarke got back into the game by defeating
the Frenchman eleven points to four in the third set of the tournament final.
After coming out victorious in the third set, the Canadian professional was surprisingly down five points to nine as the fourth set of the match commenced.
While the spectators prepared themselves for a deciding fifth set, Clarke stunned the audience by clinching the fourth set eleven points to nine. The win marked Clarke’s second Professional Squash Association tour title in his career so far.
Canada’s top seed defeated Argentina’s Juan Pablo Roude in the quarter-finals of the tournament to make it through to the round to follow.
Roude was thrashed eleven points to six in the first set. The Argentinean failed to level himself with Clarke and further went on to lose the second set seven points to eleven. The Canadian sportsman bagged a straight set win based upon his 11-6 third set
victory.
Prior to the championship win, Clarke got rid of Argentina’s Gonzalo Miranda in the semi-finals of the tournament. Miranda was crushed three sets in a row to be eliminated from the competition. Robin took the first set 11-9, followed by the second set 11-4.
Furthermore, the Argentine’s reign was ended just when Clarke took the deciding third set eleven points to five.
In the words of PSA’s Sheila Cooksley, “The PSA is very keen to get PSA players into as many countries as we can to showcase the PSA World Tour.” Upon the success of the tournament, she also stated that the PSA will be looking forward to helping the organizers
build the tournament over the years to come.
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