Gatti and Romo win FPS Pan American Junior Championships

Fiorella Gatti upset No.2 seed Charlotte Sze to win the Pan American Junior Squash Championships, while Ecuador’s Javier Romo delighted the Quito crowd with a come-from-behind victory to win the men’s title for the first time.

16-year-old [3/4] seed Gatti went into her match with the US No.2 seed a slight underdog, but quickly dampened US hopes of a second consecutive winner with a brutal 11-1 win in game one.

Sze, aged just 14, battled well in game two, but could not strike back as Gatti went 2-0 up with a 14-12 victory before sealing the match in straight games with an 11-6 win in game three.

In the men’s final, top seed Romo ended a run of two consecutive final defeats with a hard-fought win over Colombian No.2 seed Jose Santamaria.

Santamaria made the better start to the contest, with the 18-year-old taking the opener 13-11.

Romo, however, battled back impressively, levelling the contest and then going a game up with a pair of 11-8 wins.

Roared on by the crowd in his home city, the Ecuadorian then completed the comeback with a more comfortable 11-5 win in game four.

The Pan American Junior Championships continues today with the semi-finals of the doubles events, with the finals taking place tomorrow, 20 June, from 18:00 (GMT-5).

After yesterday’s finals, the FPS launched its mission to protect clean athletes and the integrity of FPS competitions.

Result: XX Campeonato Panamericano Juvenil de Squash Women’s Final