Corren & King Triumph Again In Australia

Australia's Mike Corren and New Zealander Joelle King claimed their second international squash tour titles in a week in Australia after success in the Victorian Open at Melbourne Sports & Aquatic Centre in Melbourne.

Corren, from South Australia, became the equal second highest tournament winner on the PSA Tour when he beat Rex Hedrick in the men's Satellite event final.

Appearing in the 35th Tour final of his career, 35-year-old Corren won his 22nd title overall and his fourth of the year when he downed Hedrick in straight games 11-5, 11-5, 11-5.

He now sits alongside Egypt's three times World Open champion Amr Shabana and behind only fellow countryman David Palmer, who has 25 titles, on the current players' list of Tour title winners.

Corren reached the final with a 10-12, 11-6, 11-7, 11-7 win over compatriot Nathan Stevenson, while the eighth-seeded Hedrick produced a major upset to oust second-seeded Kiwi Graeme Wilson 11-8, 11-1, 9-11, 11-8.

The 20-year-old Hedrick, from Melbourne, is renowned for his speed around the court but he had no answer to the far more experienced South Australian.

Corren has now won four tournaments in succession, with Sunday's win following successes in the PSA International Golden Open and NSW Open in Australia and the ASB North Island Championship in New Zealand.

He said it was an honour to add his name to a trophy that features former winners such as Geoff Hunt, Rodney Martin and Chris Dittmar.

"I've been trying to win the Victorian Open for quite a few years now so it feels great," he said. "I just hope the next generation of players put as much importance on the state opens as I have."

Earlier, New Zealand's Joelle King turned in a dominant performance to take the women's title with an 11-8, 11-4, 11-7 win over second-seeded Australian Amelia Pittock.

Pittock, who won the Victorian Open in 2005, could not match the New Zealander, who, like Corren, added the Victorian title to the NSW Open she won last week

King has improved immensely over the last 12 months and she highlighted that rise with the ease of her win over the more experienced Pittock.

A number of the former winners of the Victorian Open women's trophy were special guests for Sunday's final and King said she felt honoured to win the tournament in front of players such as Vicki Cardwell, Sarah Fitz-Gerald, Margaret Zacharia and Anne Smith.

"There are some great names on the trophy," she said. "Hopefully I can achieve some of the great things they did."

Men's Final:
[1] Mike Corren (AUS) bt [8] Rex Hedrick (AUS) 11-5, 11-5, 11-5

Women's Final:
[1] Joelle King (NZL) bt [2] Amelia Pittock (AUS) 11-8, 11-4, 11-7