Romero Survives Five-Set Thriller as Open Gets Underway
IslandStats.com
World-class professional squash returned to Devonshire as the 2026 STARR Bermuda Open kicked off at the Bermuda Squash Club with a mix of clinical dominance and high-stakes drama.
The tournament, a premier fixture on the PSA Challenger Tour, brought together 48 of the world's elite players. While the top seeds enjoyed a bye into the second round, the opening day's action proved that the margin for error at this level is razor-thin.
Bermuda's lone competitor Taylor Carrick went down in straight sets to Leandro Romiglio 11-4, 11-5, 11-2
The headline match of the afternoon occurred in the Women’s Division, where Noa Romero and Meagan Best played out an exhausting five-set marathon. In a contest that ebbed and flowed over the course of an hour, it was Romero who ultimately held her nerve to advance.
After Romero claimed a tight opening set 11-9, Best—the reigning Caribbean champion—roared back to take the next two sets in dominant fashion. However, Romero showed immense mental fortitude to claw her way back into the match, taking the fourth 11-7 before sealing the decider 11-6.
In the Men’s Division, Matias Knudsen produced one of the most one-sided performances of the day. Facing wild card entry Khamal Cumberbatch, the Colombian professional put on a masterclass in precision and court coverage.
Knudsen took the opening set 11-3 and refused to let his intensity drop, surrendering only one point in the second set before closing out the match 11-4 in the third. The straight-sets victory serves as a significant warning to the rest of the field as Knudsen moves into the round of sixteen.
The opening day sets the stage for a busy week of elite competition in Bermuda. With top seeds such as Karim El Torky and Sabrina Sobhy set to enter the fray tomorrow, the local crowd will be turning their attention to the island's own Taylor Carrick, who is scheduled for a late-afternoon clash against Leandro Romiglio.
As the tournament progresses toward Saturday’s finals, the early exits of established regional players like Best and Cumberbatch highlight the sheer depth of the international talent currently competing on the Devonshire hardwood.
For Romero and Knudsen, the focus now shifts to recovery as they prepare for even sterner tests in the second round.
