Adnan claims Brisbane title after epic win

19-Feb-2012 -

Top seeded Malaysian Nafiizwan Adnan won his sixth final on the professional squash tour when he beat fellow countryman Ivan Yuen in an epic final of the Hibiscus Gardens Open in Brisbane on Sunday
The 25-year-old Adnan and his 21-year-old compatriot battled each other to a standstill before Adnan finally clinched victory 12-14, 11-7, 7-11, 11-8, 12-10 in two and a quarter hours.
It was Adnan’s seventh victory over Yuen in eight matches but the world number 36 had to call on all of his reserves to subdue the fourth seed’s challenge.
The win ends a frustrating period without a win for Adnan, who had not claimed a title on the PSA tour since July 2009.
Adnan had beaten New Zealand qualifier Evan Williams 7-11, 11-3, 11-2, 11-5 in the first semi-final on Saturday, while Yuen took five games to down unseeded Victorian and AIS Scholarship holder Rex Hedrick 9-11, 11-7, 11-3, 9-11, 11-4.

Semi-final results – prefix denotes seeding:

4-Ivan Yuen (MAS) bt Rex Hedrick (AUS) 9-11, 11-7, 11-3, 9-11, 11-4
1-Nafiizwan Adnan (MAS) bt Evan Williams (NZL) 7-11, 11-3, 11-2, 11-5

Final

1-Nafiizwan Adnan (MAS) bt 4-Ivan Yuen (MAS) 12-14, 11-7, 7-11, 11-8, 12-10