The Indian girls outclassed Malaysia in a match for minor placings in the Junior Fed Cup under-16 tennis tournament at the DLTA Complex here on Friday.
After winning both singles matches easily, the Indian girls conserved their energy for the battles ahead by giving a walkover in the doubles.
India will now meet Uzbekistan to stay in the race for the ninth spot after failing to qualify for the quarterfinals following defeats against Australia and Thailand in the league phase. Incidentally, Australia and Thailand qualified for the semifinals and booked their berths for the World Group competition to be staged later in the season. They were joined by Japan and Chinese Taipei.
The results (placings match): India bt Malaysia 2-1 (Jasmine Kaur Bajaj bt Jia Wei Ti 6-0, 6-1; Tahira Bhatti bt Lyn Yuen Choo 6-2, 6-4; Jasmine Kaur Bajaj & Snehadevi Reddy gave walkover to Lyn Yuen Choo & Jia Wei Ti).
Quarterfinals: Japan bt Korea 2-1; Thailand bt New Zealand 2-1; Chinese Taipei bt Indonesia 2-1; Australia bt Kazakhstan 3-0. - source: www.thehindu.com
Saturday 30 April 2011
Friday 29 April 2011
Malaysia finish last in Group D
India overwhelmed Sri Lanka 3-0, dropping just nine games in all in winning two singles and a doubles match within a span of three hours, in a league match of little consequence in the Asia-Oceania Junior Fed Cup under-16 tennis tournament here on Thursday.
It was little consolation after India's defeat at the hands of seeded teams, Australia and Thailand, but it provided the host a chance to finish ninth or closer in a field of 16 teams.
Except for Chinese Taipei which qualified ahead of the seventh-seeded Hong Kong, the rest of the seven seeded teams, Japan, Korea, New Zealand, Thailand, Indonesia, Kazakhstan and Australia made the knock-out. The top four from the zone will qualify for the World Group competition.
India, on its part, will meet Malaysia which finished fourth in Group ‘D', in the first match for minor placings.
RESULT: Group A: Chinese Taipei bt China 3-0; Japan bt Hong Kong 2-1; Group B: Australia bt Thailand 3-0; India bt Sri Lanka 3-0 (Jasmine Kaur Bajaj bt Shankari Thayakaran 6-4, 6-1; Tahira Bhatti bt Vinuri Wickramaratne 6-1, 6-0; Jasmine Kaur Bajaj-Snehadevi Reddy bt Dinushki Ranasinghe-Shankari Thayakaran 6-1, 6-2);Group C: Uzbekistan bt Singapore 3-0; Indonesia bt Korea 2-1; Group D: Philippines bt Malaysia 2-1; Kazakhstan bt Malaysia 3-0; New Zealand bt Kazakhstan 2-1. — source: www.thehindu.com
It was little consolation after India's defeat at the hands of seeded teams, Australia and Thailand, but it provided the host a chance to finish ninth or closer in a field of 16 teams.
Except for Chinese Taipei which qualified ahead of the seventh-seeded Hong Kong, the rest of the seven seeded teams, Japan, Korea, New Zealand, Thailand, Indonesia, Kazakhstan and Australia made the knock-out. The top four from the zone will qualify for the World Group competition.
India, on its part, will meet Malaysia which finished fourth in Group ‘D', in the first match for minor placings.
RESULT: Group A: Chinese Taipei bt China 3-0; Japan bt Hong Kong 2-1; Group B: Australia bt Thailand 3-0; India bt Sri Lanka 3-0 (Jasmine Kaur Bajaj bt Shankari Thayakaran 6-4, 6-1; Tahira Bhatti bt Vinuri Wickramaratne 6-1, 6-0; Jasmine Kaur Bajaj-Snehadevi Reddy bt Dinushki Ranasinghe-Shankari Thayakaran 6-1, 6-2);Group C: Uzbekistan bt Singapore 3-0; Indonesia bt Korea 2-1; Group D: Philippines bt Malaysia 2-1; Kazakhstan bt Malaysia 3-0; New Zealand bt Kazakhstan 2-1. — source: www.thehindu.com
Wednesday 27 April 2011
New Zealand blank Malaysia
THE national Junior Fed Cup team went down 3-0 to fourth seeds New Zealand in an Asia/Oceania Qualifiers Group D tie in New Delhi on Tuesday.
Emily Fanning (picture) defeated Choo Lyn Yuen 6-3, 6-4 in the opening singles before Danielle Feneridis build up an unassailable 2-0 lead for the Kiwis with a 6-1, 6-2 win over Ti Jia Wei.
In the doubles, Fanning and Paige Hourigan breezed past Aslinia Chua-Lyn Yuen 6-0 6-2 in less than one hour.
The top four placed teams in Delhi will qualify for the World Finals, scheduled from Sept 27-Oct 2, San Louis Potosi, Mexico.
Results: Group B: Australia beat India 3-0 (Belinda Woolcock bt Jasmine KaurBajaj 6-1, 6-4; Ashleigh Barty bt Tahira Bhatti 6-4, 6-2; Brooke Rischbieth and Belinda Woolcock bt Tahira Bhatti and Snehadevi Reddy 6-2, 7-5).
Group D: New Zealand beat Malaysia 3-0 (Emily Fanning bt Choo Lyn Yuen 6-3, 6-4; Danielle Ferenidis bt Ti Jia Wei 6-1, 6-2; Emily Fanning-Parge Hourigan bt Choo Lyn Yuen- Aslina Chua 6-0 6-2.
Other results: Group A: Japan bt China 3-0; Hong Kong bt Chinese Taipei 2-1. Group B: Thailand bt Sri Lanka 3-0; Group C: South Korea bt Singapore 3-0; Indonesia bt Uzbekistan 3-0. Group-D: Kazakhstan bt Philippines 3-0. — source: www.thehindu.com and www.tennisnz.com
Monday 25 April 2011
Going up the standard path
Malaysian tennis players may not be anywhere near the level of their counterparts from Australia, China, Japan and South Korea but are expected to be as competitive in a few years time.
According to Sarawak Lawn Tennis Association (SLTA) president Dato Patrick Liew, Malaysia, through the Lawn Tennis Association of Malaysia (LTAM), are trying very hard to groom potential players and uplift their standard.
“Under the LTAM development programme, a few selected players are sent overseas like Spain and the US to train in tennis academies. They are still new and in the development stage but I do believe that in a few years time, they can reach the level that we expected,” said Liew.
He was responding to a question on where Malaysian players stand now in term of standard during a press conference on the Asia/Oceania Final Qualifying Event for the ITF World Junior Team Championship at his office yesterday.
“I am expecting Australia to be the favourites to make it to the top four of this qualifying event because they are very serious in tennis and have been carrying out their development programme for a long time and producing very good players,” he said.
Liew also predicted China to make the grade because most of the Chinese players are now being trained overseas and those at home are trained by full-time professional coaches.
Liew said 16 boys and 16 girls teams will be vying for four spots in the World Junior Team Championship to be played in Prostejov, Czech Republic in July.
For the boys competition that will be held at SLTA centre from May 2 to 7, the participating countries are Australia, China, Chinese Taipei, Hong Kong, India, Japan, South Korea, host Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Uzbekistan, Indonesia, Syria and Yemen.
The countries involved in the girls competition from May 9 to 14 are Australia, China, Chinese Taipei, Hong Kong, Indonesia, India, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore, Thailand, Uzbekistan, Sri Lanka, Philippines and Kazakhstan.
“This is a team event with two singles and one doubles to be played in each match and we are honoured to be entrusted by International Tennis Federation (ITF) to host it again in Kuching,” said Liew.
“The teams will play for position 1 to 16 and the players will get to play for seven days to decide whether they can qualify for the competition next year.”
Only the top 13 teams qualify for next year’s competition while the remaining three spots will awarded to the countries who won in the pre-qualifying event.
Liew said ITF had given SLTA a total grant of RM138,880 to run the two back-to-back competitions.
“This competition will give our players a very good exposure as they get the chance to play against players from different countries and learn from the opponents.”
“This will be an interesting event to watch because team captains are allowed to be on court to lend support and coach the players,” said Liew.
He said to ensure that the event had the best organisation and officials, ITF had appointed experienced Australian Wayne Mckewen as tournament referee and Suresh Menon of Malaysia as its representative for the boys competition.
As for the girls event, the tournament referee is Gary Au-Yeung from Hong Kong while the ITF representative is Patrick O’Rouke from New Zealand.
Merdeka Palace and Suites Hotel is the official hotel while Wilson is the official ball sponsor and Lea Sports Centre the official attire sponsor. - source: Borneo Post; April 22/ 2011
Australia finish on top in Junior Davis Cup qualifying
The Australian Junior Davis Cup team has defeated top seeds Japan in the Asia Oceania qualifying for Junior Davis Cup in New Delhi, India.
Thanasi Kokkinakis came back from a set down, holding on to win 4-6 6-3 7-5 over Japan’s Takashi Saito, and Nicolas Kyrgios (ACT) defeated Yoshithito Nishioka 6-4 6-3. The doubles was not played.
Finishing in top place will be an advantage when seedings for the world final, to be held in Mexico in September, are determined.
“It was an excellent accomplishment for the Australian team, achieving all the goals they set for the event on arrival,” team captain Milo Bradley said.
“Despite all the challenges faced in a teams event, the boys worked together well, made sacrifices, and helped each other to achieve the desired result of making it to the Junior Davis Cup world finals in Mexico.
“The boys not only had to adapt to a different environment, but also the difficulties that come with such an environment – sickness, heat and pollution, as well as the various physical injuries all three have endured at some point.
“Australia should be proud of Thanasi, Nick and Blake (Mott, NSW), they are real quiet achievers,” Bradley continued.
Junior Davis Cup by BNP Paribas is a prestigious international team event for boys aged 16 and under.
Australia has won Junior Davis Cup twice in the past five years. AIS Coach Ray Ruffels led the 2009 champion team of Jason Kubler, Luke Saville and Joey Swaysland. In 2007 Bernard Tomic, Mark Verryth and Alex Sanders won for Australia.
Final placings for the qualifying event were as follows: (Bracket denotes seeding)
1 Australia (2), 2 Japan (1), 3 Hong Kong(5), 4 Thailand (8), 5 China (6),
6 Korea (7), 7 Uzbekistan (3), 8 Chinese Taipei, 9 Syria, 10 Indonesia, 11 Malaysia, 12 Philippines, 13 India, 14 Sri Lanka, 15 New Zealand,
16 Kazakhstan.
Asia Oceania qualifying for Junior Fed Cup by BNP Paribas will commence this week, with Ashleigh Barty (Qld), Belinda Woolcock (VIC) and Brooke Rischbeith (SA) representing Australia. - source: www.tennis.com.au
Thanasi Kokkinakis came back from a set down, holding on to win 4-6 6-3 7-5 over Japan’s Takashi Saito, and Nicolas Kyrgios (ACT) defeated Yoshithito Nishioka 6-4 6-3. The doubles was not played.
Finishing in top place will be an advantage when seedings for the world final, to be held in Mexico in September, are determined.
“It was an excellent accomplishment for the Australian team, achieving all the goals they set for the event on arrival,” team captain Milo Bradley said.
“Despite all the challenges faced in a teams event, the boys worked together well, made sacrifices, and helped each other to achieve the desired result of making it to the Junior Davis Cup world finals in Mexico.
“The boys not only had to adapt to a different environment, but also the difficulties that come with such an environment – sickness, heat and pollution, as well as the various physical injuries all three have endured at some point.
“Australia should be proud of Thanasi, Nick and Blake (Mott, NSW), they are real quiet achievers,” Bradley continued.
Junior Davis Cup by BNP Paribas is a prestigious international team event for boys aged 16 and under.
Australia has won Junior Davis Cup twice in the past five years. AIS Coach Ray Ruffels led the 2009 champion team of Jason Kubler, Luke Saville and Joey Swaysland. In 2007 Bernard Tomic, Mark Verryth and Alex Sanders won for Australia.
Final placings for the qualifying event were as follows: (Bracket denotes seeding)
1 Australia (2), 2 Japan (1), 3 Hong Kong(5), 4 Thailand (8), 5 China (6),
6 Korea (7), 7 Uzbekistan (3), 8 Chinese Taipei, 9 Syria, 10 Indonesia, 11 Malaysia, 12 Philippines, 13 India, 14 Sri Lanka, 15 New Zealand,
16 Kazakhstan.
Asia Oceania qualifying for Junior Fed Cup by BNP Paribas will commence this week, with Ashleigh Barty (Qld), Belinda Woolcock (VIC) and Brooke Rischbeith (SA) representing Australia. - source: www.tennis.com.au
Malaysia finish 11th in New Delhi
MALAYSIA defeated a higher-ranked Philippines 2-1 in an Asia/Oceania classification tie to finish 11th in the 16-team qualifying tournament at R.K Khanna Stadium in New Delhi on Saturday.
Colin Wong started the ball rolling for Malaysia by coming from a set down to edge Kyle Joseph Romnee 4-6, 7-5, 6-1 in a 140-minute opening singles match.
However, the Philippines levelled the tie when Ahmad Deedat Abdul Razak decided to retire after the second set against Jurence Zosimo Mendoza. Ahmad Deedat lost the first set 6-7 (3-7) but won the second 6-1.
In the doubles match, Ahmad Deedat-Colin overcame a second set hiccup to beat Jacob Lagman-Mendoza 6-4, 2-6, 6-4 for the winning point.
Malaysia's performance in the Junior Davis Cup is an achievement as they managed to do better than several higher-ranked teams, including India, New Zealand and Kazakhstan.
Ahmad Deedat was Malaysia's best performer for notching the most number of victories in both the singles and doubles compared to his teammates.
Second seeds Australia won the competition by overcoming top seeds Japan 2-0 while Hong Kong edged Thailand 2-1 to finish third.
Saturday 23 April 2011
Academy going the French way
KUALA LUMPUR: Grassroots tennis in the country received a boost with the official launch of the Babolat Duta International Tennis Academy recently.
The academy, which was formerly known as the Duta Junior Tennis Academy, is the first tennis academy in the world to be partnered by the renowned French brand.
The academy is offering four different programmes to cater for various age groups and proficiency levels and emphasises on the International Tennis Federation's Play and Stay methods.
Jens Hiesterman, a highly qualified and experienced tennis coach from Germany, has been appointed as director of coaching at the academy.
Founder and head coach V. Selvam (pic)said the partnership would allow for the implementation of the latest training techniques and equipment in Malaysia which will bring grassroots development to a higher level.
"With Babolat on board, we are able to introduce training techniques which have been used and are proven to be successful in Europe since the past five to six years," said Selvam.
"One example of the advancement Babolat brings is the four different types of tennis balls which are specifically made for each age group. They are much softer and slower than regular balls which allows for longer rallies and is physically less taxing on the young players.
"Techniques such as the Play and Stay are also very good as they focus on letting kids play rallies and enjoy themselves from the start which will help keep them interested and stay in the game longer."
While at the helm of the Duta Junior Tennis Academy, Selvam, who himself is a former national number one player, produced a number of top juniors who include current national number three Khoo Er Yang.
"With this new partnership, we hope to be able to produce not only national champions but also players who can succeed internationally," said Selvam.
Sports Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Shabery Cheek, who officiated the launching of the academy, said there was much room for improvement for the sport in the country and the launch of the academy was a step in the right direction.
"Other Asian countries such as China have already managed to produce top quality talent in recent times," said Ahmad Shabery.
"The academy has already produced good players in the past but with the new training methods, I am hoping it will be able to further boost our players' development," added Ahmad Shabery. - By Fadhli Ishak (NST - April 23)
Indonesia edge Malaysia
MALAYSIA were edged 2-1 by Indonesia in the classification match of the Junior Davis Cup Asia/Oceania Qual ifiers in New Delhi yesterday.
Duzbionjit Singh lost the opening singles to Irfandy Hendrawan 6-1, 6-3 but Malaysia’s No 1 Ahmad Deedat Abdul Razak drew parity by defeating Ricky Widianto 6-3, 6-0.
Ahmad Deedat-Colin Wong, however, lost the doubles match to Irfandy-Nur Adim Ramdani 1-6, 7-5, 6-4.
The team will play the Philippines for 11th position today.
Duzbionjit Singh lost the opening singles to Irfandy Hendrawan 6-1, 6-3 but Malaysia’s No 1 Ahmad Deedat Abdul Razak drew parity by defeating Ricky Widianto 6-3, 6-0.
Ahmad Deedat-Colin Wong, however, lost the doubles match to Irfandy-Nur Adim Ramdani 1-6, 7-5, 6-4.
The team will play the Philippines for 11th position today.
Thursday 21 April 2011
Ahmad-Colin earn winning point in Junior Davis Cup tie
THE national junior Davis Cup salvaged some pride by edging New Zealand 2-1 in an Asia/Oceania relegation play-off tie in New Delhi, India yesterday.
Colin Wong earned Malaysia the first point by overcoming Alexander Klintcharov 1-6, 6-1, 6-3 in a tough 90-minute battle.
However, Finbar Argus levelled proceedings by hammering Ahmad Deedat Abd Razak 6-1, 6-2.
In the doubles, Ahmad-Deedat beatAlexander-Cameron Norrie 6-1, 6-3 to clinch their maiden victory in the tournament.
Malaysia face Syria today.
Colin Wong earned Malaysia the first point by overcoming Alexander Klintcharov 1-6, 6-1, 6-3 in a tough 90-minute battle.
However, Finbar Argus levelled proceedings by hammering Ahmad Deedat Abd Razak 6-1, 6-2.
In the doubles, Ahmad-Deedat beatAlexander-Cameron Norrie 6-1, 6-3 to clinch their maiden victory in the tournament.
Malaysia face Syria today.
Malaysia staring at relegation
THE national junior Davis Cup team failed to make an impact at the Asia/Oceania Qualifying Round event in New Delhi, India yesterday.
The team, led by Ahmad Deedat Abd Razak and together with Colin Wong (pic)
and Duzbionjit Singh, were beaten by Thailand (2-1), Uzbekistan (3-0) and minnows Syria (2-1) to finish last in Group C.
Malaysia's points against Thailand and Syria were earned in the doubles.
The team need to do better in today's relegation playoff to avoid demotion to the pre-qualifiers next year.
The team, led by Ahmad Deedat Abd Razak and together with Colin Wong (pic)
and Duzbionjit Singh, were beaten by Thailand (2-1), Uzbekistan (3-0) and minnows Syria (2-1) to finish last in Group C.
Malaysia's points against Thailand and Syria were earned in the doubles.
The team need to do better in today's relegation playoff to avoid demotion to the pre-qualifiers next year.
Tuesday 19 April 2011
Two-tier system receives rave reviews
The Ayam A1 Junior Open tennis championships, held at the National Tennis Centre in Jalan Duta recently, introduced a two-tier system for the first time.
Under the system, first round casualties were given another chance to win honours in tier two.
Tournament director Norman Woo said the system guarantees players more matches.
"We came out with this idea based on feedback from parents and players. This system is here to stay," said Woo.
Woo also said the championships, held for the fifth time, were a huge success with the participation of about 200 players.
"The event attracted some of the top juniors in local tennis. There were some interesting and exciting matches. Some of the seeded players were eliminated in the early rounds.
"We must thank the Lawn Tennis Association of Malaysia (LTAM) for making the event a big success.
"From a small competition, the junior championships has grown into a major one, which allows participants to earn ranking points. We are looking at making next year's edition bigger and grander," he added.
Naufal Siddiq turned in a near perfect performance to win a double. Naufal won the singles crown in the boys' Under-10 category when he defeated Darrshan Singh 6-1, 6-1 in the final.
In the doubles final, Naufal and Muhd Irzad defeated Amirul Ariff-Noor Suhail 6-3, 6-4.
In the battle of siblings, Duzbionjit Singh edged his elder brother Pearljit Singh 6-7 (4-7), 6-2, 6-4 to win the boys' Under-18 crown.
Duzbionjit is one of three players selected to represent Malaysia in the Junior Davis Cup at the Asia/Oceania Qualifiers in New Delhi, India on April 18-25.
RESULTS:
Boys' Under-10 Singles - Tier 1: Naufal Siddiq bt Darrshan Singh 6-1, 6-1; Tier 2: Liu Hui Retallick bt Nieshaal 8-2.
Doubles - Tier 1: Naufal Siddiq-Muhd Irzad bt Amirul Ariff-Noor Suhail 6-3, 6-4; Tier 2: Danial Farid-Darshan Suresh bt M. Shahputra-Amirul Hakim 8-5.
Under-14 Singles - Tier 1: Calvin Lee bt Stefan Gligorov 6-2, 3-0 (rtd); Tier 2: Lucas Chong bt Desmond Kong 8-4.
Doubles - Tier 1: Muhd Aniq-Mohd Sofwan bt Adam Farid-Stefan Gligorov 6-3, 6-7 (5-7), 10-7; Tier 2: Shalin Yong-Megat Nasrul bt Ranveer Singh-Satveer Sing 8-5.
Under-18 Singles - Tier 1: Duzbionjit Singh bt Pearljit Singh 6-7 (4-7), 6-2, 6-4; Tier 2: Ahmad Hazeem bt Muaz Azhar w/o.
Doubles - Tier 1: Ahmad Fauzan-Ahmad Faiz bt Kenneth Tan-Keenam Kam 0-6, 7-6 (7-5), 10-4; Tier 2: Nigel Lim-Chew Wei Hoang bt Ahmad Farhan-Annuar Safwan w/o.
Girls' Under-10 Singles - Tier 1: Juliana Shalini bt Elysia Wan 6-4, 7-6 (7-2); Tier 2: Luo Zhiyun bt Elsa Wan 8-3.
Under-14 Singles - Tier 1: Sagung Putri bt Nur Hazira 6-1, 6-2; Tier 2: Nurul Farhana bt Putri Nuradleeyna 9-8 (7-1).
Under-18 Singles - Tier 1: R. Archnaah bt R. Akshara 6-0, 6-0; Tier 2: Wan Arishya bt Grace Quinn 8-6.
Under the system, first round casualties were given another chance to win honours in tier two.
Tournament director Norman Woo said the system guarantees players more matches.
"We came out with this idea based on feedback from parents and players. This system is here to stay," said Woo.
Woo also said the championships, held for the fifth time, were a huge success with the participation of about 200 players.
"The event attracted some of the top juniors in local tennis. There were some interesting and exciting matches. Some of the seeded players were eliminated in the early rounds.
"We must thank the Lawn Tennis Association of Malaysia (LTAM) for making the event a big success.
"From a small competition, the junior championships has grown into a major one, which allows participants to earn ranking points. We are looking at making next year's edition bigger and grander," he added.
Naufal Siddiq turned in a near perfect performance to win a double. Naufal won the singles crown in the boys' Under-10 category when he defeated Darrshan Singh 6-1, 6-1 in the final.
In the doubles final, Naufal and Muhd Irzad defeated Amirul Ariff-Noor Suhail 6-3, 6-4.
In the battle of siblings, Duzbionjit Singh edged his elder brother Pearljit Singh 6-7 (4-7), 6-2, 6-4 to win the boys' Under-18 crown.
Duzbionjit is one of three players selected to represent Malaysia in the Junior Davis Cup at the Asia/Oceania Qualifiers in New Delhi, India on April 18-25.
RESULTS:
Boys' Under-10 Singles - Tier 1: Naufal Siddiq bt Darrshan Singh 6-1, 6-1; Tier 2: Liu Hui Retallick bt Nieshaal 8-2.
Doubles - Tier 1: Naufal Siddiq-Muhd Irzad bt Amirul Ariff-Noor Suhail 6-3, 6-4; Tier 2: Danial Farid-Darshan Suresh bt M. Shahputra-Amirul Hakim 8-5.
Under-14 Singles - Tier 1: Calvin Lee bt Stefan Gligorov 6-2, 3-0 (rtd); Tier 2: Lucas Chong bt Desmond Kong 8-4.
Doubles - Tier 1: Muhd Aniq-Mohd Sofwan bt Adam Farid-Stefan Gligorov 6-3, 6-7 (5-7), 10-7; Tier 2: Shalin Yong-Megat Nasrul bt Ranveer Singh-Satveer Sing 8-5.
Under-18 Singles - Tier 1: Duzbionjit Singh bt Pearljit Singh 6-7 (4-7), 6-2, 6-4; Tier 2: Ahmad Hazeem bt Muaz Azhar w/o.
Doubles - Tier 1: Ahmad Fauzan-Ahmad Faiz bt Kenneth Tan-Keenam Kam 0-6, 7-6 (7-5), 10-4; Tier 2: Nigel Lim-Chew Wei Hoang bt Ahmad Farhan-Annuar Safwan w/o.
Girls' Under-10 Singles - Tier 1: Juliana Shalini bt Elysia Wan 6-4, 7-6 (7-2); Tier 2: Luo Zhiyun bt Elsa Wan 8-3.
Under-14 Singles - Tier 1: Sagung Putri bt Nur Hazira 6-1, 6-2; Tier 2: Nurul Farhana bt Putri Nuradleeyna 9-8 (7-1).
Under-18 Singles - Tier 1: R. Archnaah bt R. Akshara 6-0, 6-0; Tier 2: Wan Arishya bt Grace Quinn 8-6.
Sunday 3 April 2011
Indonesia deny Malaysia a clean sweep
INDONESIA celebrated with party poppers as they clinched the Boys Doubles crown to deny Malaysia a sweep in the 1st Penang Asian Tennis Federal (ATF) Under-14 series as the four-day challenge ended at the Universiti Sains Malaysia courts last month
The Malaysians looked set to grab all four titles at stake in the Boys and Girls challenge but the Indonesian combination of Pangestu Akbar Thio and Suhendi Joel William Ivand threw a spanner in the works.
With their challenges in the Boys singles, the Girls singles and doubles, being prematurely ended by the high riding Malaysians, Pangestu and Suhendi held their own to be crowned as the Boys doubles champs.
The win came in the wake of top seed’s Low Zhe Han and Mohd Asyraff Mohd Safian shocking exit by fellow Malaysians Chin Yen Tong and Clarence Koo Mui Han in their semi-final meeting.
Yen Tong, who already had the singles crown in the bag, looked set to add the doubles crown to his collection as well, only to find the Indonesians in an uncompromising mood.
Leaving nothing to chance, they went on the offensive to troop out as the convincing victors by taming the ‘upset makers pair of Yen Tong and Clarence in straight games at 6-4, 7-5.
For Yen Tong, who hails from Selangor, the defeat came as a bitter pill as it denied him what could have been a grand double finish in this inaugural challenge.
He had successfully stopped the giant killing act of Talhah Mohd Rahzam to be crowned as the singles champ.
Talhah, who ended top seed Low Zhe Han’s march with a 3-6, 6-2, 6-2 win in the semi-finals, failed to reproduce his act in the final as Yen Tong powered his way to honours in straight games at 6-2, 6-3.
The girls, however, helped to make up for the disappointment when they did what the boys failed to do.
They gave Malaysia a double finish after firmly making both the singles and doubles final an all-Malaysian affair.
Unseeded Yus Syazlin Nabila Yusri, in particular, played a big role in the Malaysian dominance of the Girls challenge, where she went against all odds to be crowned as the singles champ.
Her giant killing feat began in the quarter-final itself when she stunned the second seed, Vardan Ria of India, with a runaway 6-3, 6-0 win.
There was then no looking back for Yus Syazlin.
Strongly inspired by that win, she not only blew away Michelle Koo at 6-4 and 6-1 in the semi-finals, but also made top seed Delizavernne Kaur her victim as well.
As if displaying that her shocking win over Vardan was not a fluke, she sent Delizavernne crashing to a 6-3, 0-6, 6-2 defeat in the final.
Delizavernne, however, was not to end her challenge empty handed.
Teaming up with Michelle in the doubles, they lived up to their billing of number two seed.
The duo powered their way to the doubles crown by beating another Malaysian pair of Nurhanis Abdullah Sani and Aida Hereena Hairy Anuar 6-4, 6-2 to make up for their disappointment in the singles.
The success of Yus Syazlin, Delizavernne and Michelle can be viewed as a welcoming warm-up to their bid in the Asia-Oceania World Juniors Tennis championship.
The trio, described as the top Under-14 girls in the country today, have been selected to feature in the championship which Sarawak is to play host in May.
With Qatar hosting two legs of the series, the Malaysians can also count on more home soil action as Malacca is also to play host to the series for the first time on May 4.
Sabah and Sarawak have also been picked to host the series in June and July respectively. - source..the star
The Malaysians looked set to grab all four titles at stake in the Boys and Girls challenge but the Indonesian combination of Pangestu Akbar Thio and Suhendi Joel William Ivand threw a spanner in the works.
With their challenges in the Boys singles, the Girls singles and doubles, being prematurely ended by the high riding Malaysians, Pangestu and Suhendi held their own to be crowned as the Boys doubles champs.
The win came in the wake of top seed’s Low Zhe Han and Mohd Asyraff Mohd Safian shocking exit by fellow Malaysians Chin Yen Tong and Clarence Koo Mui Han in their semi-final meeting.
Yen Tong, who already had the singles crown in the bag, looked set to add the doubles crown to his collection as well, only to find the Indonesians in an uncompromising mood.
Leaving nothing to chance, they went on the offensive to troop out as the convincing victors by taming the ‘upset makers pair of Yen Tong and Clarence in straight games at 6-4, 7-5.
For Yen Tong, who hails from Selangor, the defeat came as a bitter pill as it denied him what could have been a grand double finish in this inaugural challenge.
He had successfully stopped the giant killing act of Talhah Mohd Rahzam to be crowned as the singles champ.
Talhah, who ended top seed Low Zhe Han’s march with a 3-6, 6-2, 6-2 win in the semi-finals, failed to reproduce his act in the final as Yen Tong powered his way to honours in straight games at 6-2, 6-3.
The girls, however, helped to make up for the disappointment when they did what the boys failed to do.
They gave Malaysia a double finish after firmly making both the singles and doubles final an all-Malaysian affair.
Unseeded Yus Syazlin Nabila Yusri, in particular, played a big role in the Malaysian dominance of the Girls challenge, where she went against all odds to be crowned as the singles champ.
Her giant killing feat began in the quarter-final itself when she stunned the second seed, Vardan Ria of India, with a runaway 6-3, 6-0 win.
There was then no looking back for Yus Syazlin.
Strongly inspired by that win, she not only blew away Michelle Koo at 6-4 and 6-1 in the semi-finals, but also made top seed Delizavernne Kaur her victim as well.
As if displaying that her shocking win over Vardan was not a fluke, she sent Delizavernne crashing to a 6-3, 0-6, 6-2 defeat in the final.
Delizavernne, however, was not to end her challenge empty handed.
Teaming up with Michelle in the doubles, they lived up to their billing of number two seed.
The duo powered their way to the doubles crown by beating another Malaysian pair of Nurhanis Abdullah Sani and Aida Hereena Hairy Anuar 6-4, 6-2 to make up for their disappointment in the singles.
The success of Yus Syazlin, Delizavernne and Michelle can be viewed as a welcoming warm-up to their bid in the Asia-Oceania World Juniors Tennis championship.
The trio, described as the top Under-14 girls in the country today, have been selected to feature in the championship which Sarawak is to play host in May.
With Qatar hosting two legs of the series, the Malaysians can also count on more home soil action as Malacca is also to play host to the series for the first time on May 4.
Sabah and Sarawak have also been picked to host the series in June and July respectively. - source..the star
Friday 1 April 2011
Duo to spearhead Malaysia's challenge at qualifiers
AHMAD Deedat Abd Razak (pic/
middle) and Choo Lyn Yuen will lead the Under-16 Junior Davis Cup and Fed Cup teams, respectively in next month's Asia/Oceania Qualifiers in New Delhi, India.
Ahmad Deedat, together with Colin Wong and Duzbionjit Singh, were selected through a recent trial conducted by the Lawn Tennis Association of Malaysia (LTAM).
Ahmad turned in a commendable performance to finish runner-up in the men's singles and doubles at the National Tennis Circuit second leg, which concluded on Tuesday, while Duzbionjit won the recent Ayam A1 Junior Championships boys' Under-18 singles title.
Malaysia will compete against 15 of the best teams in this region in the Junior Davis Cup qualifiers, scheduled for April 18-25.
The top four teams will gain automatic qualification to the main event in Barcelona, Spain, on Sept 26-Oct 1.
Lyn Yuen, Ti Jia Wei and Aslina Chua will represent Malaysia in the Junior Fed Cup on April 25-May 2. Among the 16 teams competing for four qualifying spots are last year's main event runners-up China, Japan, Uzbekistan and India.
Lyn Yuen, the younger sister of former national player Lyn Yee, has been making progress in her game since last year.
Among her best achievements were winning the ITF Brunei (Grade Five) doubles event and the women's singles title at the National Circuit second leg.
LTAM executive secretary Ibrahim Abu Bakar said the association conducted a trial to pick the three best players for each tournament.
"We have named strong squads for both competitions. We have not set targets but of course, we hope our players will perform well," said Ibrahim yesterday. - NST
middle) and Choo Lyn Yuen will lead the Under-16 Junior Davis Cup and Fed Cup teams, respectively in next month's Asia/Oceania Qualifiers in New Delhi, India.
Ahmad Deedat, together with Colin Wong and Duzbionjit Singh, were selected through a recent trial conducted by the Lawn Tennis Association of Malaysia (LTAM).
Ahmad turned in a commendable performance to finish runner-up in the men's singles and doubles at the National Tennis Circuit second leg, which concluded on Tuesday, while Duzbionjit won the recent Ayam A1 Junior Championships boys' Under-18 singles title.
Malaysia will compete against 15 of the best teams in this region in the Junior Davis Cup qualifiers, scheduled for April 18-25.
The top four teams will gain automatic qualification to the main event in Barcelona, Spain, on Sept 26-Oct 1.
Lyn Yuen, Ti Jia Wei and Aslina Chua will represent Malaysia in the Junior Fed Cup on April 25-May 2. Among the 16 teams competing for four qualifying spots are last year's main event runners-up China, Japan, Uzbekistan and India.
Lyn Yuen, the younger sister of former national player Lyn Yee, has been making progress in her game since last year.
Among her best achievements were winning the ITF Brunei (Grade Five) doubles event and the women's singles title at the National Circuit second leg.
LTAM executive secretary Ibrahim Abu Bakar said the association conducted a trial to pick the three best players for each tournament.
"We have named strong squads for both competitions. We have not set targets but of course, we hope our players will perform well," said Ibrahim yesterday. - NST
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