WELLINGTON, Florida – As Mikee Romero continues to stay his dream in what he refers to because the “Olympics of polo,” his GlobalPort group enters the homestretch of the top of the game’s competitors within the US Open polo championship on the Nationwide Polo Heart.
GlobalPort has reached the quarterfinals of the US Open, the third and closing jewel within the Gauntlet of Polo, the game’s triple crown within the USA.
This prestigious sequence started with the C.V. Whitney Cup and was adopted by the USA Polo Affiliation (USPA) Gold Cup.
Romero’s quartet entered the US Open following a creditable efficiency through the winter season in Florida.
As a prelude to the US Open, they reached the semifinals within the Whitney Cup, secured second place within the Bronze Cup, and received the Sterling Cup.
“It’s a dream come true to take part on this competitors, the Olympics of polo,” mentioned Romero, a businessman and sports activities patron who’s stepping down after 9 years as a congressman for the 1Pacman Celebration-list.
Romero, who has bequeathed his political advocacy to his daughter Milka for the upcoming elections, is drawing inspiration from a 19-year-old Filipina who shocked the sporting world along with her giant-killing spree not removed from Wellington.
He cheered and watched as Alex Eala joined the elite circle of girls’s tennis by defeating three Grand Slam champions, together with world No. 2 Iga Swiatek of Poland, on the Miami Open, one of many hardest tennis occasions exterior the Grand Slam tournaments.
“She is really inspiring and worthy of emulation,” Romero mentioned after watching her demolish Swiatek within the quarterfinals earlier than finally dropping to Jessica Pegula within the semifinals.
Romero hopes his GlobalPort group will attain the semifinals as effectively.
GiobalPort clawed again from three objectives down within the first half, then dominated heavy favourite Park Place within the second half for a 10-8 victory that despatched the Philippine-based quartet into the quarterfinals of the US Open on Tuesday.
The victory vaulted GlobalPort to fourth place within the 12-team scramble for the eight quarterfinal slots with a 2-1 file.
Its solely loss got here from event favourite La Dolfina/Tamera, the defending champion and winner of the Whitney Cup.
GlobalPort performs La Dolfina/Catamount within the quarterfinals on Saturday, looking for to e book a ticket to the semis and a repeat of its 15-14 further chukker victory over the identical group within the Whitney Cup.
Romero’s quartet trailed by three objectives on the finish of the second and third chukkers, 2-5 and 3-6, respectively. However the deficit and the rain delay within the third chukker didn’t dampen the spirit of GlobalPort.
GlobalPort rallied behind 10-goaler Bartolome Castagnola for a 3-1 run within the fourth chukker.
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Nico Escobar and Beltran Laulhe joined the scoring occasion whereas Romero ran a good protection that held Park Place, the USPA Open champion, scoreless within the fifth chukker.
So stingy was GlobalPort’s protection that Park Place scored just one objective for nearly 12 minutes whereas yielding seven within the fourth and fifth chukkers.
That 7-1 run gave GlobalPort a 10-7 edge going into the sixth and closing chukker. By the point Park Place scored once more on Hilario Ulloa’s objective with 4:44 left, the match was nearly past attain.
