Colombia Challenger 2 Preview: Bautista Aiming For First Title

For the second time in 2021, the Challenger Tour heads to Colombia, with the second Colombia Squash Challenger event taking place this week.

Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the Challenger 5 level tournament is being run with only those currently living in Colombia being able to participate, meaning the entire field is made of those playing on home soil.

Ronald Palomino, a member of the Colombia quartet at the 2019 Men’s World Team Championships in Washington, D.C., will be the No.2 seed, with Andres Herrera and Felipe Tovar aiming to topple top seed Edgar Ramirez Bautista.

We spoke to Bautista, the World No.147, prior to the event, as he aims to win his first professional title this weekend in Bogota, following a runner-up finish on the same court earlier this year.

“I felt that I had a good tournament last time out but I felt a little nervous since it was my first competition and the rhythm of competition is always lost, but I think it was a good result,” he explained.

“I want to feel good on the court and be able to obtain my first title, it is not an easy tournament but it is a good opportunity to win the title.”

Bautista spent some of the last year training in Barcelona, and he believes that the time spent in the Spanish city during the pandemic has helped his game.


“I feel that the training we had in Barcelona helped me a lot to improve my game, I have learned a lot from this academy. I feel like having a few more games with players from the top 100, to be able to get more rhythm of the game with different players, will help me move up the rankings.”

The event takes place from Tuesday 15 to Friday 18 June at the Club La Pradera De Potosi in Cuundinamarca, Colombia, where Edgar Ramirez Bautista is the top seed for the tournament. Follow the PSA Challenger Tour on Twitter and Facebook for daily updates from the event.

First Round Draw: Colombia Squash Challenger 2
[1] Edgar Ramirez Bautista (COL) – [Bye]
[5] Juan Jose Torres (COL) – [Bye]
[6] Mateo Restrepo Pedroza (COL) v [WC] Jose Santamaria (COL)
[3] Andres Herrera (COL) – [Bye]
[4] Felipe Tovar (COL) – [Bye]
[WC] Joaquin Fernandez (COL) v [WC] Federico Torres (COL)
[7] Nicolas Sarna (COL) v [WC] Rodrigo Torres (COL)
[2] Ronald Palomino (COL) – [Bye]