Yannick Wilhelmi reaches PSA Paraguay Open semi-finals

Yannick Wilhelmi continued his fine form to reach the semi-finals of the PSA Paraguay Open with a succession of fine wins at the Club Internacional de Tenis in Asunción but was denied a place in his third successive PSA World Tour final by topseed Leandro Romiglio of Argentina.

Argentine No.1 Leandro Romiglio once again got the better of Yannick Wilhelmi to progress to the final with a hard-fought 11-7 4-11 11-8 11-3 win, having also prevailed in recent final of the PSA Regatas Resistencia Open.

Yannick levelled the match at one game apiece with some accurate & purposeful squash but was unable to prevent Romiglio from regaining control to win in 56 minutes.

In the quarter-finals, the 5th seeded Swiss beat 3rd seed Yannik Omlor of Germany in straight games, with an opening game tie-break laying the platform for Wilhelmi to eventually come through 12-10 11-8 11-5 in 37 minutes.

The Swiss needed three tie-breaks to overcome Alejandro Enriquez of Guatemala in his opening match. After winning the opening game 11-5, the match proved anything but straightforward for the young Swiss, with the second game needing 32 points to be played before Wilhelmi eventually won it 17-15. The Guatemalan won the third game 13-11 & the fourth also went to a tie-break, with Wilhelmi taking it 14-12 to move through to the quarter finals with 64-minute 11-5 17-15 11-13 14-12 victory.

The PSA Tour de las Americas played across Argentina, Brazil & Paraguay proved successful for Yannick who claimed the biggest PSA World Tour title of his career to date at the PSA Villa la Angostura Patagonia Open at the beginning of May, which he then followed up by reaching the final of the PSA Regatas Resistencia Open, also in Argentina, the following week.

“It was amazing to start off the tour with winning my biggest title so far. I have gone through a tough period with injuries which influenced my performance on court negatively, so it just felt great to finally step on court without any complications & just focus on the squash,” said Wilhelmi.

“I’m really happy that I was able to back my form up in the second event. It’s challenging after winning a tournament to compete a few days later in the next one, so I’m proud of how I handled the situation.

“The first round was not easy considering that I had to flow back into the tournament rhythm after having a small break. I had successful games against good guys leading up to the final. In the final, Leandro Romiglio was just a bit too strong & definitely deserved the win. Overall though it was another great week.”

Prior to the Tour de las Americas, Wilhelmi had featured in the PSA World Championships Qualification in England but had not won a PSA World Tour event since January 2022.

“I didn’t go to South America with any expectations. I just wanted to play & enjoy the tournaments. Although I had some difficulties with my body, I felt like I was ready to compete & hoped for some good battles.

“I tried to just focus on one match at the time & have a positive mindset. I felt that I was in a good shape & wanted to put myself in a position to cause some upsets. Winning the first tournament was successful start & obviously the highlight of the trip.

Currently at a career-high of World No.77, Yannick has put himself in a position to push towards becoming the third Swiss player to be featuring in PSA Platinum level events in the near future.

“After three long weeks the most important part will be focussing on the regeneration. I feel squash-wise & mentally well prepared. I am content with my performance & don’t intend on changing much.

“It’s always hard to put one number as a goal. Sometimes one improves well but the results don’t always reflect as one would expect them to. So for me personally it’s more about developing my game, staying confident in myself & improving step by step.

“After accomplishing good results, this is a great way to finish off my season & hopefully with a good start into the new one, it would be great to reach the top 60 by the end of the year.”

Professional Squash Association (PSA) Paraguay Squash Open, Club Internacional de Tenis, Asunción, Paraguay
Semi-Finals:
[8] Jeremías Azaña (ARG) bt [4] Tom Walsh (ENG) 11-6, 11-6, 9-11, 8-11, 11-7 (88m)
[1] Leandro Romiglio (ARG) bt [5] Yannick Wilhelmi (SUI) 11-7, 4-11, 11-8, 11-3 (56m)

Quarter-Finals:
[8] Jeremías Azaña (ARG) bt [9/16] Macéo Lévy (FRA) 11-8, 14-12, 11-9 (44m)
[4] Tom Walsh (ENG) bt [7] Andrés Herrera (COL) 11-5, 11-8, 11-9 (66m)
[5] Yannick Wilhelmi (SUI) bt [3] Yannik Omlor (GER) 12-10, 11-8, 11-5 (37m)
[1] Leandro Romiglio (ARG) bt [6] Edwin Clain (FRA) 11-7, 7-11, 11-3, 11-3 (48m)

2nd Round:
[9/16] Macéo Lévy (FRA) bt [2] Christopher Gordon (USA) 5-11, 15-13, 11-7, 11-4 (61m)
[8] Jeremías Azaña (ARG) bt Jorge Gomez (MEX) 11-6, 11-6, 11-2 (33m)
[7] Andrés Herrera (COL) bt [9/16] Toufik Mekhalfi (FRA) 11-7, 6-11, 3-11, 11-2, 11-7 (74m)
[4] Tom Walsh (ENG) bt [9/16] Diego Gobbi (BRA) 11-9, 4-11, 11-9, 11-4 (45m)
[3] Yannik Omlor (GER) bt [9/16] Leo Vargas (MEX) 11-2, 5-11, 11-4, 11-8 (51m)
[5] Yannick Wilhelmi (SUI) bt [9/16] Alejandro Enriquez (GUA) 11-5, 17-15, 11-13, 14-12 (64m)
[6] Edwin Clain (FRA) bt [9/16] Ondrej Vorlícek (CZE) 11-4, 6-11, 11-4, 8-11, 11-2 (53m)
[1] Leandro Romiglio (ARG) bt [9/16] Edgar Ramirez (COL) 11-3, 12-10, 11-2 (25m)

1st Round:
[2] Christopher Gordon (USA) bye
[9/16] Macéo Lévy (FRA) bt Segundo Portabales (ARG) 11-6, 11-4, 11-7 (31m)
Jorge Gomez (MEX) bt [9/16] Joeri Hapers (BEL) 12-10, 6-11, 11-6, 3-11, 11-8 (69m)
[8] Jeremías Azaña (ARG) bye
[7] Andrés Herrera (COL) bye
[9/16] Toufik Mekhalfi (FRA) bt Damian Casarino (PAR) 11-4, 14-12, 11-1 (27m)
[9/16] Diego Gobbi (BRA) bt Carlos Vargas (MEX) 13-11, 11-2, 11-9 (34m)
[4] Tom Walsh (ENG) bye
[3] Yannik Omlor (GER) bye
[9/16] Leo Vargas (MEX) bt Felipe Tovar (COL) 11-6, 11-2, 11-6 (33m)
[9/16] Alejandro Enriquez (GUA) bt Pedro Mometto (BRA) 11-5, 10-12, 12-10, 9-11, 11-1 (84m)
[5] Yannick Wilhelmi (SUI) bye
[6] Edwin Clain (FRA) bye
[9/16] Ondrej Vorlícek (CZE) bt [WC] Rafael Castillo (PAR) 11-1, 11-5, 11-5 (19m)
[9/16] Edgar Ramirez (COL) bt Francesco Marcantonio (PAR) 9-11, 11-8, 7-11, 11-8, 11-5 (63m)
[1] Leandro Romiglio (ARG) bye