BARBADIANS Shawn Simpson and Rhett Cumberbatch will not be taking any further part in the Professional Squash Association’s BTMI Barbados Men’s Squash Open.
Yesterday, they were defeated by their opponents in the main draw at the Barbados Squash Club.
Simpson, Barbados’ top-ranked player, lost to Antonio de la Torre of Guatemala 11-9, 6-11, 11-8, 11-8.
“I felt good on court in terms of getting out there and giving my all,” Simpson told WEEKENDSPORT.
“The level of squash that I had to play was slightly higher than I am usually accustomed to for the duration of the year,” he said.
In between some of the games, both Simpson and de la Torre started to fade a little bit. However, de la Torre recovered a little quicker than Simpson did, which gave him the impetus to win.
“I felt like I was right there with him in terms of talentwise and shotwise, but just the level of the intensity of the match and the fitness he has made him come out on top,” said the reigning national champion.
Ranked at 474, Simpson is hoping to move to 400 after gaining points in the tournament.
“I am going to look into any other tournaments, preferably in the US or Central America, to improve on my ranking even more,” he said.
In the other game, 20-year-old Julian Morrison of Jamaica comfortably won in straight sets from Cumberbatch, prevailing 11-9, 11-3, 11-9.
The semi-finals will be played today, with the final set for tomorrow. (JC)
