Seventh Time Lucky For Happy Hedrick
by Howard Harding
23 January 2012 - After finishing as runner-up on six previous occasions, it was seventh time lucky for Australia's Rex Hedrick after his title triumph in the Australia Day Challenge, the PSA World Tour Challenger 5 squash event at Northern Suburbs Squash Centre in Carseldine in the Australian state of Queensland.
Third seed Hedrick made his breakthrough in the semi-finals where he upset top-seeded Malaysian Muhd Asyraf Azan 11-3, 7-11, 8-11, 11-9, 11-5.
The 23-year-old from Melbourne went on to down fellow countryman Nathan Stevenson, the eighth seed from Brisbane, 11-9, 11-8, 11-8 in the 41-minute final.
Hedrick, ranked 89 in the world, acknowledged that beating Azan in the semi-finals was one of the best wins of his career.
"I just hung in there and started frustrating him, and he started to get fired up with the referees, so I tried to keep my concentration," explained Hedrick after his maiden PSA Tour title success.
The semi-final win took its toll on the champion, who was on the verge of cramping during the final.
"I had some electrolyte drink which helped, but thank goodness the final only went to three. If it had gone longer I would have been in trouble," admitted Hedrick.
RESULTS: PSA Challenger 5 Australia Day Challenge, Carseldine, Queensland, Australia
1st round:
[1] Muhd Asyraf Azan (MAS) bt Luke Sims (AUS) 11-8, 11-7, 11-2 (27m)
[Q] SungYoung Kim (KOR) bt Dylan Swanson (NZL) 11-6, 12-10, 11-7 (22m)
Joseph Watts (NZL) bt Joshua Southwell-Nobbs (AUS) 11-8, 11-8, 11-4 (27m)
[5] Jamie McErvale (AUS) bt T J Rarere (AUS) 11-8, 11-6, 11-7 (25m)
[Q] Carl Hampson (RSA) bt [6] Evan Williams (NZL) 12-10, 6-11, 7-11, 11-9, 11-8 (68m)
[Q] Luke Feeney (AUS) bt Ben Marschall (AUS) 11-7, 11-6, 11-5 (25m)
[Q] Matthew Hopkin (AUS) bt Matthew Bridle (AUS) 11-2, 11-6, 11-7 (25m)
[3] Rex Hedrick (AUS) bt Joshua Stack-Masula (AUS) 11-1, 11-2, 11-1 (20m)
[4] Chris Lloyd (NZL) bt Courtney West (AUS) 11-8, 6-11, 11-7, 11-7 (39m)
James Skiffington (NZL) bt [Q] Michael Badenhorst (AUS) 12-10, 11-6, 11-6 (28m)
Lance James Beddoes (NZL) bt Dayne Gruenthal (AUS) 11-1, 11-4, 11-3 (22m)
[8] Nathan Stevenson (AUS) bt Rhys Dowling (AUS) 10-12, 11-1, 11-5, 11-2 (36m)
[Q] Bradley Freeme (AUS) bt [7] Paul Coll (NZL) 7-11, 11-6, 11-4, 11-8 (61m)
Walter Koteka (AUS) bt [Q] Andrew Fraser (AUS) 11-6, 11-7, 11-13, 11-4 (43m)
[Q] Craig Rowland (AUS) bt Thomas Calvert (AUS) 11-4, 11-8, 11-5 (27m)
[2] Mike Corren (AUS) bt Ben Takamizawa Harris (JPN) 11-8, 11-3, 6-11, 11-3 (35m)
2nd round:
[1] Muhd Asyraf Azan (MAS) bt [Q] SungYoung Kim (KOR) 11-4, 11-6, 11-7
[5] Jamie McErvale (AUS) bt Joseph Watts (NZL) 11-6, 10-12, 11-6, 11-1
[Q] Carl Hampson (RSA) bt [Q] Luke Feeney (AUS) 11-5, 11-6, 11-5
[3] Rex Hedrick (AUS) bt [Q] Matthew Hopkin (AUS) 11-3, 11-4, 11-3
[4] Chris Lloyd (NZL) bt James Skiffington (NZL) 11-4, 11-4, 11-4
[8] Nathan Stevenson (AUS) bt Lance James Beddoes (NZL) 11-5, 11-6, 11-6
[Q] Bradley Freeme (AUS) bt Walter Koteka (AUS) 11-9, 13-11, 11-9
[Q] Craig Rowland (AUS) bt [2] Mike Corren (AUS) 11-7, 11-3, 11-5
Quarter-finals:
[1] Muhd Asyraf Azan (MAS) bt [5] Jamie McErvale (AUS) 11-5, 11-2, 11-8 (33m)
[3] Rex Hedrick (AUS) bt [Q] Carl Hampson (RSA) 11-7, 11-6, 11-6 (43m)
[8] Nathan Stevenson (AUS) bt [4] Chris Lloyd (NZL) 11-5, 12-10, 11-7 (29m)
[Q] Craig Rowland (AUS) bt [Q] Bradley Freeme (AUS) 11-6, 11-3, 14-12 (46m)
Semi-finals:
[3] Rex Hedrick (AUS) bt [1] Muhd Asyraf Azan (MAS) 11-3, 7-11, 8-11, 11-9, 11-5 (94m)
[8] Nathan Stevenson (AUS) bt [Q] Craig Rowland (AUS) 10-12, 6-11, 11-6, 11-2, 11-4 (61m)
Final:
[3] Rex Hedrick (AUS) bt [8] Nathan Stevenson (AUS) 11-9, 11-8, 11-8 (41m)
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