ANZACS prevail in thrilling semi finals

ANZACS prevail in thrilling semi finals

The finalists have been decided at the Fitzherbert Rowe Lawyers New Zealand International Squash Classic at SquashGym tonight. Both matches were played in front of a full house and the spectators were not disappointed.

The first semi featured top seed Paul Coll of New Zealand taking on Ivan Yuen from Malaysia. The two had met recently at a tournament in Hong Kong were Coll had come out on top 3 – 2. Tonight’s match went down that same track.

The first game was a tight battle with long extended rallies with both players wanting to play down the backhand side. The players went point for point and it took a number of quality shots from Yuen to take the first 11 – 9. Coll was at his athletic best and there is hardly a ball that he cannot lay a racket on. The final point of the first game typified this with a full length dive which on this occasion was to no avail.

In the second game Coll started to get on top and dominate the ‘T’. He forced Yuen into a couple of loose shots and he put them away with class. Coll took the game 11 – 5.

Coll continued that momentum into the third racing out to an early lead. Yuen fought back though with some exquisite shots, combined with some errors from Coll, Yuen took a 2 – 1 lead winning the game 11 – 7.

The fourth was a battle of attrition and Coll’s mobility and conditioning came to the fore and Yuen started to noticeably tire. Coll levelled the match 2 all winning 11 – 5.

Starting the fifth, the SquashGym crowd would have expected Coll to power away but the 90 second break did Yuen wonders and the fifth was a tight affair. It went back and forward and got to 9 all. Once again Yuen started to fatigue and Coll took his chances taking the fifth 11 – 9 after an hour and twenty minutes.

“It was a tough win in five and I am glad to come through it. I knew it would be tough and I am really looking forward to the final,” Coll said after the match.

The second semi of the night featured second seed Australian Rex Hedrick and Englishman Joshua Masters. Masters was seeded sixth and upset his countryman Angus Gillams in the quarter finals.

It was a clash of two styles with Hedrick a gritty runner who prominently plays the back of the court and Masters a hard hitter who loves to play attacking Squash.

The first two games seemed to take an age, with Masters taking the first 13 – 11 and Hedrick the second 14 – 12.

These two games took it out of the players and the next two were split once again with Masters winning the third 11 – 5 and Hedrick the fourth 11 – 4.

A cracking final game was set up and it did not disappoint with long intense rallies, some superb winners from Masters, controversial referring calls and the lights even went out at 11 all. The second seed Hedrick was able to hold on through all of this and win a gritty fifth game 14 – 12.

Hedrick joked after the match that he and Coll should play a ‘best of one’ tomorrow after the exhausting semi-finals. “Joshua played some amazing shots tonight and he really hit his targets at the front of the court. My game is more of a longer one so I just concentrated on hitting my targets at the back of the court,” Hedrick said.

The two top seeds will face of tomorrow and the match will be streamed ‘live’. A big crowd should be in for a long, close match to decide the New Zealand Classic Champion.

Semi Final Results

(1) Paul Coll (NZ) beat (3) Ivan Yuen (MAS) 9 – 11, 11 – 5, 7 – 11, 11 – 5, 11 – 9. 80 mins

(2) Rex Hedrick (AUS) beat (6) Joshua Masters (ENG) 11 – 13, 14 – 12, 11 – 5, 4 – 11, 14 – 12. 78 mins

Final – 2.00pm

(1) Paul Coll (NZ) v (2) Rex Hedrick (AUS)

ends

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