#PSAWorldTour
At 31 years of age and ranked well outside the world’s top 100, Argentina’s Robertino Pezzota survived a 92-minute final of the Tauron Ponta Lagoa International Challenger in Brazil to win the first PSA World Tour title of his career.
Seeded three, Pezzota claimed his second final appearance of the year when he beat Nigeria’s No.6 seed Baba Tunde Ajagbe in straight games in the semi-finals of the PSA Challenger 10 event in its second year at Clube Ponta Lagoa in Ponta Grossa.
In the other semi, fifth seed Piedro Schweertman stunned top seed Gonzalo Miranda, also from Argentina, 3/0 to reach his ninth Tour final.
The Dutchman continued his winning streak by taking the opening game of the final – then the fourth to force a decider after Pezzota regained the lead.
The fifth was a close-fought affair, but it Argentinean outsider Pezzota, the World No.148 from Rosario (pictured, left, with Schweertman), who ultimately prevailed, winning 9-11, 11-3, 11-5, 9-11, 11-8 to make his long-awaited Tour title breakthrough.
Final:
[3] Robertino Pezzota (ARG) bt [5] Piedro Schweertman (NED) 9-11, 11-3, 11-5, 9-11, 11-8 (92m)
Semi-finals:
[3] Robertino Pezzota (ARG) bt [6] Baba Tunde Ajagbe (NGR) 11-5, 11-5, 11-8
[5] Piedro Schweertman (NED) bt [1] Gonzalo Miranda (ARG) 11-2, 11-4, 11-8
Quarter-finals:
[6] Baba Tunde Ajagbe (NGR) bt [WC] Rafael Alarcon (BRA) 11-13, 11-3, 11-3, 9-11, 11-6
[3] Robertino Pezzota (ARG) bt [8] Josimar Silva (BRA) 11-5, 11-6, 11-7
[5] Piedro Schweertman (NED) bt [4] Leandro Romiglio (ARG) 11-6, 11-4, 8-11, 11-6
[1] Gonzalo Miranda (ARG) bt [7] Rodrigo Pezzota (ARG) 11-8, 11-7, 8-11, 11-3
1st round:
[WC] Rafael Alarcon (BRA) bt [2] Manoel Pereira (BRA) 11-7, 11-8, 11-7
[6] Baba Tunde Ajagbe (NGR) bt [Q] Hugo Varela (ESP) 11-6, 11-5, 11-6
[8] Josimar Silva (BRA) bt [Q] Matheus Weingartner (BRA) 11-1, 11-4, 11-8
[3] Robertino Pezzota (ARG) bt Juan Pablo Roude (ARG) 11-5, 11-4, 11-7
[4] Leandro Romiglio (ARG) bt [Q] Gabriel Bueno de Oliveira (BRA) 11-2, 11-4, 11-2
[5] Piedro Schweertman (NED) bt [Q] Julio Caseiro (BRA) 11-1, 11-8, 11-1
[7] Rodrigo Pezzota (ARG) bt Edilson Ribeiro Nunes (BRA) 11-9, 11-2, 9-11, 11-4
[1] Gonzalo Miranda (ARG) bt Ronivaldo Duarte (BRA) 13-11, 11-8, 11-4
Qualifying finals:
Julio Caseiro (BRA) bye
Matheus Weingartner (BRA) bt Marcelo Pinto (BRA) 9-11, 2-11, 11-8, 12-10, 14-12
Gabriel Bueno de Oliveira (BRA) bye
Hugo Varela (ESP) bye
