Title number 40 as Corren strikes gold
From ANDREW DENT
South Australia’s Mike Corren clocked up his 40th title on the Professional Squash Association tour when he beat Englishman Lewis Walters in the final of the Golden Open in Kalgoorlie on Monday.
Corren was leading 11-8, 11-2 when Walters, who injured his ankle during the quarter-finals, decided he was unable to continue, handing Corren his third Golden Open crown in the past four years.
It was also the 38-year-old Corren’s third consecutive title on the Australian Squash Tour following wins at the NT Open in Alice Springs and last week’s City of Perth International.
“He hurt his ankle yesterday morning but I watched him play last night and he was on fire,” Corren said.
“But he told me after the match that when he woke up this morning it had tightened up.
“I could tell after the first three or four points that he was struggling when I put a few balls to the front and he didn’t react.
“But then I went to the front too much and he was getting them, but once I started playing my normal game he wasn’t interested.”
Corren is showing no signs of slowing down and said he had now set his sights on winning 50 PSA titles.
“I had a physio come here with me from Perth and he treated me every day, he kept me feeling really youthful, and that made a big difference,” he said.
Corren now heads to his home state for the Barossa Valley and South Australian Opens.
Results – prefix denotes seeding:
Semi-finals
1-Mike Corren (SA) bt 3-Justin Beard (SA) 11-7, 11-4, 11-6
2-Lewis Walters (ENG) bt 4-Matthew Serediak (CAN) 12-10, 11-2, 11-6
Final
1-Mike Corren (SA) bt 2-Lewis Walters (ENG) 11-8, 11-2, ret