Rising PSA Talent Patrick Rooney Claims Maiden Tour Title in Madeira by Sean Reuthe June 13, 2016
- Up-and-coming English talent Patrick Rooney secured his first ever
PSA World Tour title after coming through a brutal five-game thriller
with Spain’s Edmon Lopez Moller in the final of the Madeira
International Squash Tournament - despite beginning the PSA M5 event
unseeded.
Coming just days before his 19th birthday, Rooney
celebrated a series of upsets as he battled through to the final,
defeating top seed Shehab Essam and number four seed Rui Soares en
route, while Lopez had already beaten two Englishmen, Luke Parker and
James Peach, to set up a final clash with Rooney.
The
opening exchanges saw a number of lengthy, attritional rallies play out
in front of the crowd at the Onda Revital Club in Funchal, Portugal,
with both players taking a game apiece.
With the scores
level, a change of tactic from Rooney saw the World No.192 attempt to
take the ball short at every opportunity, but it initially appeared to
have a debilitating effect as Lopez capitalised on some unforced errors
from the youngster to go 2-1 ahead.
A reinvigorated Rooney
recovered in the fourth though to level proceedings once more, and a
back and forth decider saw Lopez sustain an ankle injury after Rooney
had recovered from 3-0 down to go 6-4 up. The Spaniard battled bravely
on, but fatigue began to set in and Rooney took full advantage,
converting his first match ball at the end of a typically gruelling
rally to open his PSA World Tour title account.
“It’s an
unbelievable feeling and a nice early birthday present,” said Rooney,
who later dedicated his victory to his aunt, who passed away last week.
“I
knew it was going to be tough and a really physical battle, but I’m
just glad I was able to keep the same intensity and level of
concentration all the way through the match. It’s the perfect way to
end the season.”
For Lopez, however, the wait for a first
PSA World Tour crown goes on after he lost out in a second successive
final, having also fallen in the same stage of the Raanana Squash
Center 30th Anniversary Festival last month.
“I saw a really good opportunity to win this week when Carlos [Cornes Ribadas] got knocked out in the first round," Lopez said.
"I
am happy to reach the final, but it’s just a shame that I was so close
to victory again. I am still young, so I hope that I will get plenty
more opportunities to win my first PSA title. Physical fitness is
normally my biggest strength, so it’s annoying that it let me down
today.
"I thought I played really well, but Patrick just
played better than me. I have to be realistic and I can’t really make
any excuses.”
Result - Final: Madeira International Squash Tournament 2016
