It took Eric Galvez 75 minutes, 50 points and five games to win the final match at the Kiva Club Open Professional Squash Association tournament Sunday in Santa Fe.
     He beat No. 1 seed Juan Camilo Vargas; Galvez was the No. 5 seed.
     Galvez, a 33-year-old Mexican, was the tournament's oldest and most experienced player. This was his 176th PSA tournament and his 15th PSA title.
     The Colombian Vargas is a decade younger than Galvez at age 25, and this was his 15th tournament. He holds one PSA title.
     This was the third annual Kiva Club Open. The tournament included both professional and amateur play.
     The professional tournament had a main draw of 16 players and a purse of $5,000. It was sponsored by Gemini Rosemont Commercial Real Estate and the Kiva Club.
     Previous professional winners of the Kiva Club Open are England’s Jaymie Haycocks (2016) and American Chris Hanson (2015). Haycocks is currently ranked No. 76 in the world; Hanson is No. 84.
     In the marathon final, Vargas took the first game, 11-6, but the game seemed closer than the score, with rallies that lasted several minutes and required 20 to 30 shots by each player.
     Galvez came back to take the second game, 11-9, with equally long rallies.
     In the third game, Galvez jumped out to a 5-0 lead and seemed to have taken control of the match. But Vargas counterpunched his way back to the lead and an eventual 13-11 win.
      By this point, both players were tiring and gasping for air.
      But Galvez retook the momentum, winning the fourth game, 11-4, and then the fifth, 11-6.
    
    Here are results from the tournament's amateur play:

A doubles
Champions: Todd Lopez and Grant Robinson (Kiva). Finalists: Don Kirby and Drewe Williams (Kiva)

B doubles
Champions:  Josiah Child (Kiva) and Ben Gillock (Montezuma, NM). Finalists: Chris Fontes and Dick Silbar (Los Alamos).

5.5 singles
Champion: Chris Fontes (Los Alamos). Finalist: Tom Abrams (Kiva)

​4.5 singles
Champion: Neil Solomon (San Francisco). Finalist: Ben Gillock (Montezuma, NM)

3.5 singles
Champion: Jon Bender (Dallas). Finalist: Derek Bohannan (Albuquerque)

​4.5 hardball singles
Champion: Grant Robinson (Kiva). Finalist: Walter Burke (Kiva)  ​

   ​ Eric Galvez, the tournament's No. 5 seed, upset No. 2 seed Reuben Phillips in a dramatic semifinal today at the Kiva Club Open in Santa Fe, New Mexico.     
​     In the other semifinal match, Colombian Juan Camilo Vargas (the No. 1 seed) cruised to an easy win over No. 6 seed Miled Zarazua of Mexico, 3-0.
     Galvez and Camilo Vargas will face each other in the final on Sunday at noon.
     The Galvez-Phillips match featured the tournament's longest game. Several points ran for two minutes or more as the crowd gasped and applauded one fantastic "get" layered on top of an earlier astounding "get." The ball rocketed around the court, the players barely managing to get to it for a return before its second bounce off the floor.
    While the final score was 3-0 in games, the first two games were extremely tight. It wasn't until near the end of the second game that either player managed a 3-point lead.
    In the first game, the score tied 12 times and there were five "game" balls. The Mexican Galvez ultimately triumphed 16-14 in 25 minutes.
     The second game started off the same as the first -- until the 33-year-old Galvez eked out a 9-6 lead. He then won that game 11-7 in 10 minutes.
     The third and final game was a seasaw. Galvez jumped to a 5-0 lead, but then the 25-year-old Phillips, who was born in England but lives in Atlanta, Georgia, won four points, almost getting back to even. Soon Galvez expanded his slim lead to 8-5, and then he finished out the game -- and the match -- 11-5, in 11 minutes

  The Kiva Club Open tournament continues today (Saturday) with amateur play kicking into high gear and the professional semifinals in the afternoon.
  At 2 p.m., No. 1 seed Juan Camilo Vargas of Colombia faces No. 7 seed Miled Zarazua of Mexico. In the second semifinal, No. 2 seed Reuben Phillips of England goes against No. 5 seed Eric Galvez of Mexico (starting about 3 p.m.).
   The professional final is Sunday at noon, and amateur play continues into Sunday afternoon.

     The Kiva Club Open tournament started today (Thursday) with the first round of professional play at the Kiva Club in Santa Fe.
     The pros will play again Friday, starting at noon with the last quarterfinal match starting about 3 p.m.
Amateur play will start earlier in the morning -- singles, hardball singles and doubles -- and continue into the evening.
     In professional play there were a few upsets on Thursday:
     No. 3 seed Victor Crouin (France) was knocked out by Sam Fenwick (Wales) and Cameron Seth (Canada) defeated No. 8 seed Andres Herrera (Colombia).
     On Friday, No. 1 seed Juan Camilo Vargas (Colombia) will face Seth, and Fenwick will take on No. 7 seed Miled Zarazua (Mexico).
     Other matches will pit No. 4 seed Sebastien Bonmalais (France) against No 5 seed Eric Galvez (Mexico), and No. 2 seed Reuben Phillips (England) against No. 7 seed David Cromwell (USA).