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10-Sep, Final:
[2] Renan Lavigne (Fra) bt [4] Miguel Angel Rodriguez (Col)  
         12/10, 11/7, 10/12, 13/11 (98m)

Renan stops Rodriguez'
run in Brasil

France's Renan Lavigne collected the eighth PSA title of his career when he overcame Miguel Angel Rodriguez in a marathon final at Belo Horizonte in Brazil.

Miguel Angel recounts the final ...

1st game: We were playing long rallied and different shots. Not too many mistakes, but I lost it in the tie break.

2nd game: Didn't play as the first game, just let him play as he wanted. I was relaxed at the beginning and that was the mistake - I wanted to come back but it was late.

3rd game: Played better, more patient and with rhythm ... but Renan was playing so well, he was getting everything. It was hard to make a winning shot. He was 10-7 match ball and I saved them!!!  Then, tie break, winning 12-10. So 2-1 for Renan.

4th game: He made good points at the beginning and I made like three points in the middle with strokes, so he got confidence, hitting the ball and moving me well on court, but I was getting everything as well. Score 7-2 for him ... so I started to play defensively and tight, waiting for his mistakes or loose ball to move him to the front ... then he was 8-4 .... didn't want to lose that game ... wanted to push myself without mistakes, so it happens to me, I passed him 10-9 game ball for me but Renan was still fighting, the crowd were delighted for our rallied.

10-10, then 11-10 for Renan so fourth match point for him but it wasn't enough for me ... got that point 11-11. At that point we were there 10 minutes just asking for 5 lets, nobody wants to lose that very important game, but he made a boost and I don't know what happened,  I was there ready to play it, but the ball had already bounced twice ... 12-11 ... That one was hard, I made a dive from the T to the corner drive, saved it with boast but Renan made a good drop shot ..... That was it. Match time  1:38 minutes.


I felt good before the match I wasn't tired from playing  Shahier so I wanted to go for the title, but Renan was firm!. Even so, I'm happy to have played three tournaments in a row and made two finals consecutive...

Thanks to Yann Perrin
for the tournament results ...

"Of course, delighted to have won the tournament. I didn’t go that far for nothing !

"I nearly won the final in three games, as I was leading 2/0 and 10/7, but he played those three match balls very well, and got to come back in the game that up until then I was controlling rather well.

"From that moment on it was another match, he didn’t let go of anything. I led in the 4th, 8/3 then 9/7 to set up another match ball that I couldn’t convert either! I could only convert the fifth match ball, it became a sort of battle (in a good way!), and needless to say I’d rather not play a fifth game…

"On a more general point of view, I’m happy with the result, the heavy preparation all during the summer is paying off from the start of the season, so thanks to Paul Sciberras for that fine-spun preparation for years.

"Also, congratulations to Thierry, my training partner for years (“how many balls have you hit together over the years”, laughed Daniel Lincou, Thierry’s dad last week), for his final in Birmingham. Yes, despite our 30-something ages, we are still here. Well, of course, we’ll have ups, like this week, and downs…

"To finish, thanks to my support group, from my family to my mates to my club (Set Marseille), and my sponsors. Without one’s entourage, one cannot perform…."

Miguel Angel Rodriguez

12/10, 11/7, 10/12, 13/11 (98m)

Renan Lavigne

13/11, 11/1, 11/6

Renan Lavigne

Qualifying:                                               Last year's Tournament

Finals:
Yann Perrin bt Luciano Barbosa 3-0         
Roberto Pezzota bt Manuel Pereira 3-0         
Mickael Reid bt Antonio Jose Christovam Junior 3-0  
John Rooney bt Siddharth Suchde 3-0         

First Round:
Yann Perrin bt Yuri Franca (Bra) 3-0
Luciano Barbosa (Bra) bt Fabio Cechin (Bra) 3-0
Manuel Pereira (Bra) ba Patrick Bedore (Can) 3-1
Roberto Pezzota (Arg) bt Local 3-0
Antonio Jose Christovam Junior (Bra) bt Local 3-0
Mickael Reid (Can) bt Local 3-1
Siddharth Suchde (Ind) bt Roberto Mori (Bra) 3-0
John Rooney (Irl) bt Local 3-0