LEANDRO ROMIGLIO of Argentina captured his 2nd Panamerican Men’s Individual Squash Championships title last night in Guatemala City. Having competed in 5 Panamerican Junior championships and seven senior championships, Leonardo knew the incredible dept the Panamerican region has in men’s squash.
Leandro moved to Prague six months ago to train at the SCS and was looking forward to seeing his family and teammates in Guatemala, and proud to be able to represent his country again. Upon arriving he was surprised to learn Peru’s Diego Elias, Mexico’s Arturo Salzar, Cesar Salzar and Leonel Cardenas or Canada’s David Baillargeon, would not be coming and that Colombia’s Miguel Rodriguez was not entered in the individuals. Without this elite group in the draw, Leandro now had a fighting chance to make the finals.
The third round against USA’s Spencer Lovejoy was a tough match given Spencer’s exceptional speed combined with the bouncy ball, making it difficult to finish the rallies. The semi-final against Guatemala’s Josue Enriquez, who had the hearts of the super loud home cheering section, made focusing difficult and Josue’s solid play took the 1st game. Leandro was able to find his game and the target in the next 3 games for the win. The final was a repeat matchup of the Val de Reuil PSA event in France only 2 weeks earlier against his great friend and training partner Juan Camilo Vargas of Colombia which Leandro won in a marathon 104-minute match in the 5th. Leandro knew he had to hit length and force Juan to hit boasts from the back of the court to win. Juan being down 2-0 and now under pressure started shooting while Leandro stayed patient and just hit length to claim the victory (11-3, 11-8, 11-3).
As a proud Argentinian, Leandro tries to give 110% every time he steps on court, and it was extra special to win for Argentina last night in front of his teammates and family. He wishes to thank his father and coach Marcelo Romiglio, Carlos Mammana President of Argentina Squash Association (AASR) and ENARD for their financial support. Clearly ENARD’s support has been highly instrumental in Leandro’s continued success on tour.
Leandro also congratulates the Guatemalan Squash Association for the phenomenal job they have done on hosting this event in their spectacular facility (11 courts, a new glass showcourt plus a new glass doubles showcourt). He further congratulates Guatemala on their amazing junior program which is successfully attracting both boys and girls into our sport; something all the America should be doing. Leandro also extends his sincere appreciation to the Federacion Panamerica de Squash (FPS) for the continued efforts in delivering Panamerican championships.
Leandro will now spend a week training with Diego Elias in Florida in preparation for a $10K PSA event in Atlanta later this month before returning to Prague.
