Home Hero Alarcon Ousts Favourite Lee In PSA Brazil
by Howard Harding
19 August 2012 - Brazilian number one Rafael Alarcon delighted the partisan crowd at the Ponta Lagoa Internacional Challenger when he overcame event favourite Joe Lee in an 86-minute semi-final marathon in the PSA World Tour Challenger 10 squash event at Clube Ponta Lagoa in Ponta Grossa, Brazil.
The No4 seed from Sao Paulo came back from two-games-to-one down - and from 4-7 behind in the fourth - to beat Englishman Lee 11-9, 4-11, 9-11, 11-9, 11-6.
"It was a fantastic match with unbelievable recovering by Rafa," said event promoter Alexandre Bulyk.
The win takes 35-year-old Alarcon, ranked 82 in the world, into the 30th PSA Tour final of his career. The success also means that the Brazilian star has made the final in all three of his PSA Tour event appearances this year!
Much will ride on the final in which Alarcon faces Kristian Frost Olesen, the second seed from Denmark who will be celebrating his fifth Tour final this year - with title triumphs in all the previous four!
The 23-year-old from Odense ended North American interest in Ponta Grossa when he beat US number two Christopher Gordon, the third seed, 11-6, 11-5, 11-4.
RESULTS: PSA Challenger 10 Ponta Lagoa Internacional Challenger, Ponta Grossa, Brazil
Semi-finals:
[4] Rafael Alarcon (BRA) bt [1] Joe Lee (ENG) 11-9, 4-11, 9-11, 11-9, 11-6 (86m)
[2] Kristian Frost Olesen (DEN) bt [3] Christopher Gordon (USA) 11-6, 11-5, 11-4 (47m)
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