Former national champion Syed Agil Syed Naguib upset the form book at the Asean University Games by clinching the men’s singles gold medal in Laos yesterday.
Syed Agil defeated Indonesia’s Davis Cupper Aditya Harry Sasongko 6-3, 6-0 at the National Sport Complex.
En route to the final, he defeated Tito Farulian Hutauruk 6-2, 6-2 and upset Thailand’s World No 1,681 Kirati Siributwong 3-6, 7-5, 6-2.
Jawairiah Noordin managed one silver (women’s team with Shirley Ling) and two bronze (women’s singles and mixed doubles with Syeg Aqil).
Malaysia added two more bronze through Faiz Said-Afiq Abd Nasir (men’s doubles) and Adelle Boey-Syarifah Syafeenaz Syed Azmir (women’s doubles).
Wednesday 19 December 2012
Monday 17 December 2012
A birthday title triumph for Ariez
ARIEZ Elyaas Deen Heshaam earned an early birthday gift when he captured the men's singles title in the BMW Malaysian National Circuit Masters Finals at National Tennis Centre in Kuala Lumpur yesterday.
Ariez, who turns 19 on Dec 24, avenged his defeat to Si Yew Ming at last year's Masters final by overcoming the veteran 6-3, 6-4 in the final match of the round robin event.
The Sarawak-born had earlier recorded wins over Sean Yip (6-1, 6-0) and Corneil Spaapen (6-0, 6-0) in the four-player championship group.
Except for Yew Ming and Ariez, the men's competition, however, had a weakened field in the absence of Nazim Khan, the national No 1 by virtue of being ranked 1,474 on the ATP Tour.
Syed Agil Syed Naguib, Ahmad Deedat Razak and veteran Abdul Hazli Zainuddin all either did not qualify or withdrew.
However, credit to Ariez Elyaas, a Davis Cupper for his impressive win over Yew Ming as he worked hard throughout the season to become the national champion.
In the women's event, Aslina Chua proved her mettle by bagging the title with wins over Alyssa Boey (6-0, 6-3), R. Archnaah (6-1, 6-0) and Ti Jia Wei (6-3, 6-2).
The 16-year-old earned a qualifying round wild card for next year's BMW Malaysian Open for the win.
S. Theiviya, who won two titles on the circuit this season, along with Choo Lyn Yuen and Jawairiah Noordin, were among the notable absentees.
Theiviya's father S. Selvarajoo, a former national champion, said his daughter was down with fever a day before the start of the tournament.
"Theiviya had participated in two ITF events in Indonesia before falling sick," said Selvarajoo.
RESULTS
ALL ROUND ROBIN (All singles)
Men: 1 Ariez Elyaas Deen Heshaam, 2 Si Yew Ming, 3 Sean Yip, 4 Corneil Spaapen, 5 Low Kar Win, 6 Colin Wong, 7 Bryan Lim, 8 Corneil Spaapen.Women: 1 Aslina Chua, 2 Alyssa Boey, 3 R. Archnaah, 4 Ti Jia Wei.
Boys' Under-16: 1 Kaoy Hao Sheng, 2 Talhah Rahizam, 3 Sheikh Ameer Sheikh Ahmad, 4 Tan Zu Zinyang, 5 Chin Yen Tong, 6 Ranveer Singh, 7 Rohaizat Azhop, 8 Nor Faezzam Said, 9 Saiful Azry Shamsuddin, 10 Khairil Anas Rahim.Under-14: 1 Alvin Teng, 2 Ryan Lee, 3 Azrul Ekhsan Azman, 4 Naufal Siddiq Kamaruzzaman, 5 Wan Muhd Fakhrul Iman Saiful, 6 Satveer Singh, 7 Adam Syafiq, 8 Danial Ahmad Farid, 9 Ulwan Soufi Usop.
Girls' Under-16: 1 Yussyazlin Nabila, 2 Nurin Nabila Roslan, 3 Michelle Khoo, 4 Vivecca Dharni.
Under-14: 1 Loo Shi Pei, 2 Suhana Sofia, 3 Aida Hereena, 4 Nur Hazira Hamidan, 5 Linda Liang, 6 Nurul Aminah Zamzury, 7 Juliana Shalini, 8 Shasha Naomi Nair, 9 Elysia Wan, 10 Aznor Qistina.
Saturday 15 December 2012
Caroline to debut in WTA Malaysian Open
FORMER women’s world No 1 Caroline Wozniacki will be making her debut at the BWM Malaysian Open next year while Hsieh Su-Wei returns to defend her title at the tournament which also moves to a new venue.
Caroline and Su-Wei will be competing for a total of US$235,000 in prize money for a 32-player draw in the singles and 16-pairs for the doubles events on Feb 25-Mar 3 at the Royal Selangor Golf Club (RSGC).
Now ranked 10th in the world, Caroline ended the regular season making the finals of her last tournaments — winning in Moscow for her 20th WTA Tout title but losing in Sofia.
The Dane, who was No 1 in October 2010, is eager to make her first appearance in Kuala Lumpur.
“I am looking forward to my first visit to Malaysia and meeting my fans from the region. The Malaysian Open was become an important event on the WTA Tour and I feel honoured to be part of it in 2013. I look forward to competing with Malaysia’s and Asia’s best players,” said Caroline, 22, in a statement.
Caroline courted controversy at an exhibition event in Sao Paolo last weekend when she impersonated rival Serena Williams by padding her top and shorts to appear large-chested and have a large rear end, a prank that was lambasted by several media outlets.
Taiwan’s Su-Wei, a surprise winner last year, hopes to become the first players to successfully defend the Malaysian Open title.
“It's always good to come back to a place where I won a tournament,” said the world No 25 Su-Wei.
Former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, the tournament patron, announced that Aslina Chua, 16, has been handed a wild card into the qualifying draw after winning the 2012 BMW Malaysian National Circuit.
“I have been briefed that BMW’s commitment to the sport of tennis is not just at international level here but at the local level as well where they recently concluded a local tournament, the BMW Malaysian National Circuit, where over 600 aspiring tennis player competed over four legs of open competition, which anyone over the age of 14 was eligible for entry.
“I am gievn the privilege of announcing that the winner of the circuit is Aslina Chua, who is now eligible for one of the wild cards for the BMW Malaysian Open qualifier,” said Dr Mahathir at the tournament launch at a hotel in Kuala Lumpur yesterday.
The fourth edition of the tournament will take place at RSGC after being held at the Bukit Kiara Equestrian and Country Resort the last three years.
Top seed Aslina captures women’s Open tennis title
The 16-year-old sealed her victory after defeating Alyssa Chua – her third straight win in the round-robin format – at the Tun Razak Tennis Complex in Jalan Duta yesterday.
Aslina was in complete control and won 6-0, 6-3. In another match, R. Archnaah beat Ti Jia Wei 6-2, 6-4.
Meanwhile, veteran Si Yew Ming, Ariez Elyaas, Sean Yip and Corneil Spaapen will fight for top honours in the final round robin of the men’s Open tomorrow.
Bryan Lim, Wan Abd Muiz, Colin Wong and Low Kar Win will face each other in the consolation draw to complete the top 8 standings.- www.thestar.com.my
Weekend warrior turns champion
TENNIS was just a once weekly exercise for Tabung Haji Board senior general manager of corporate finance, Mohd Hisham Harun, until he discovered he wasn't a bad competitor recently.
The CEO & Celebrity Charity Tennis event at the National Tennis Complex in Jalan Duta saw Hisham, 44, emerge overall winner of the fourth edition.
"I normally just play tennis to keep fit, at least once a week. But then I got invited to play in this tournament through a friend and I thought since it was for a good cause, to raise money for charity, I'd give it a try," said Hisham.
"I actually had some appointments today (yesterday), so I tried to pull out of the tournament at the last minute, but the organisers said I could not do that as the draw had already been made.
"So maybe it was a blessing in disguise. I'm quite surprised myself.
"Anyway, it was all in good fun and for a good cause, so I enjoyed it. Definitely I'd like to come back next year."
Hisham scored a total of 23 points from five wins and one draw under the special format that saw the 26 participants drawn with five different partners, and each played five sets of six games. The points are the number of games won.
The fourth edition of the event saw organisers New Straits Times and eCEOs Sdn Berhad raise a total of RM64,000 for the NSTP Charity Fund.
Funds raised will go towards aid for young Malaysians in need of treatment for heart problems, cancer, or for the fitting of artificial limbs.
NSTP chief executive officer Mohd Azlan Abdullah said the return of the event, after a one-year lapse, brought with it an encouraging response from participants and donors.
"We had initially targeted to raise RM60,000 through this event and eventually we raised RM64,000, which is the second highest after the RM67,000 we raised in the first year of the event in 2008," said Mohd Azlan.
"We've also got very positive feedback from the participants who wanted this event to continue, so we are definitely looking at having it again next year."
RESULTS: 1 Mohd Hisham Harun 23 pts, 2 Johnson Koh 22, 3 Keld Kristiansen 22, 4 Devan Pillay 21, 5 Paul Poh 20, 6 Richard Curtis 20, 7 Abdul Halim Md Lassim 18, 8 Eugene Yong 18, 9 Mohd Azlan Abdullah 16, 10 Angela Lian 15, 11 Soo Kui Jien 15, 12 Muhd Iqbal Sulaiman 14, 13 Zainal Abidin Mohd Ali 14, 14 Abu Bakar Atan 13, 15 Jojo Struys 13, 16 Yusli Mohamed Yusoff 13, 17 Paul Jones 11, 18 Hasni Mohamad 10, 19 Seelan Paul 10, 20 Jailani Mustafa 9, 21 Mohd Ridza Mohd Abdulla 8, 22 Mohd Ariff Mohd Noor 8, 23 Adriana Aris 6.
Wednesday 5 December 2012
Alvin smashes a double win
KUCHING: Alvin Teng added yet another feather to his cap when he registered a double success in the Sarawak Junior Age Group Tennis Masters at Sarawak Lawn Tennis Association (SLTA) tennis centre last Sunday.
The 13-year-old student from SMK Jalan Arang competed in the round-robin league for Boy’s Under-18 and emerged the champion after beating all his eight opponents.
In the Boy’s/Girl’s Under-14 doubles, Alvin paired up with Goh Xing to beat Hanif Pauzi and N Khaidir 8-0 to lift the title.
The runner-up of the Boy’s Under-18 singles was Isaac Law who recorded six wins and two losses, 0-8 to Alvin and 2-8 to Kenneth Tan respectively while Gregory Tan was third with five wins.
In the Boy’s doubles contest, Kenneth Tan and Sean Chin were victorious after beating Dennis and Zahid E in the semi-finals and Gregory Tan-Goh Tik Xin 8-6 in the final.
The Boy’s Under-14 singles title went to Aiman Hamdan who beat Charles R Tony 2-6, 6-3, 6-3 in the final.
Meanwhile, Jimmy Liong won all his nine matches in the Boy’s/Girl’s Under-10 round-robin league to emerge the champion.
In second place was Mohd Daniel Johan Ariff who had eight wins and third was Mitchel Brapul Tidan with seven wins.
The Boy’s/Girl’s Under-10 title was won by Faridudin and Sufri after they beat Mitchell Brapul Tidan-Liam Saging Lisu 7-8 (10-6) in the final.
A total of 46 players from Kuching, Sibu and Miri took part in the two-day tournament.
SLTA president Dato Patrick Liew closed the event and gave away the prizes.
According to him, the participants were the top players in their respective age groups in their divisional meets.
“This is a very good platform for the juniors to display their skills against each other and also for us to select potential players to be groomed for future competitions like Sukma,” he added.- www.theborneopost.com
Aiman’s tennis adventure on the ascent
KUCHING: Rising young tennis talent Mohd Aiman Hamdan is carving quite an impression on the courts around the state these days, winning titles while helping his association, the Bumiputera Tennis Association of Sarawak (PTBS) in their quest for developing tennis in the community.
Despite all the honours that have come his way, all the top billings that he has recorded, nothing will compete with that moment recently when he won the Boy’s Under-14 singles title at the Sarawak Junior Age Group Tennis Masters last Sunday.
In an exclusive interview with The Borneo Post, Aiman’s father Hamdan Mos who is also his personal coach commented that his son aspires to be a tennis great one day and at the tender age of 11-years-old, Aiman has shown signs of heading the right direction.
“Aiman has shown that he is passionate and is hungry for more titles. I too hoped that I can provide him with adequate training and assistance that Aiman needed for as a father, I only want the best for him,” commented Hamdan.
Apart from the Sarawak Junior Age Group Tennis Masters, Aiman had also participated at the 2012 Genting-Selangor International Junior Open Tennis Championships last month where he finished the tournament at a commendable 10th place in the tournament.
Aiman commented that the recent experience gained and competition exposure in Peninsular Malaysia is indeed valuable. It made him a better player and hopes that he will get more competitive exposures in the future.
Not willing to let his recent achievement distract him, Aiman revealed that he continues to train hard in preparation for his next tournament.
“I am thankful to my family, coaches and PTBS for what they have done for me. I have good trainers and I can only pay them back with my hard work and achievements,” Aiman added.
One of Aiman’s ambitions is also to represent the state in Sukma. He hopes that he will be given the chance to represent the state in the near future.
“Winning medals for Sarawak in tennis is also important for me. It is an ambition that I am working hard on and I know I can only earn the call-up by doing well in my games,” he said.
Aiman’s role of honour in 2012 includes winning the Kuching Age Group, state MSSS Championship, YB Fadillah Cup and Samarahan Convo Cup.
At the end of the interview, his father and coach Hamdan revealed that he is looking for sponsors to help his son advance in his tennis career development as Aiman has proven himself to be one of the state’s brightest prospects in tennis.- www.theborneopost.com
PH soft netters win in Malaysia
THE Philippine soft tennis men and women teams scored victories in contrasting fashion to capture the major titles in the recent 2012 Southeast Asian Soft Tennis Federation Open and Junior Championships at the Likas Sports Complex in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia.
Joseph Arcilla, last year’s World Cup bronze medalist, powered the PH men’s squad past Korea, 2-1, for first place honors, while recent Mungyeong Korea International semifinalists Bien Zoleta led the domination over Malaysia, 3-0, to capture the women’s crown.
PSTA president Col. Jeff Tamayo lauded the performance of the local players and also congratulated Soft Tennis Malaysia head Johnson Koh and Sabah Soft Tennis chief KK Chin for successfully hosting the event.
“The presence of the top collegiate soft tennis players from Korea is an indication that the level in Southeast Asia is improving. I wish to thank international president Mr. Park Sang Ha for sending the Korean team,” said Tamayo.
Arcilla leaned on reliable teammates Jomar Arcilla, Mikof Manduriao, Jopy Mamawal and Davis Alano; while Zoleta was joined in the winners podium by veterans Cheryl Macasera and Deena Cruz together with greenhorns Chynna Mamawal and Denden Peralta in the trip supported by the Philippine Olympic Committee, Philippine Sports Commission and soft tennis patron BGEN Dr. Antonio L. Tamayo.- http://manilastandardtoday.com
Joseph Arcilla, last year’s World Cup bronze medalist, powered the PH men’s squad past Korea, 2-1, for first place honors, while recent Mungyeong Korea International semifinalists Bien Zoleta led the domination over Malaysia, 3-0, to capture the women’s crown.
PSTA president Col. Jeff Tamayo lauded the performance of the local players and also congratulated Soft Tennis Malaysia head Johnson Koh and Sabah Soft Tennis chief KK Chin for successfully hosting the event.
“The presence of the top collegiate soft tennis players from Korea is an indication that the level in Southeast Asia is improving. I wish to thank international president Mr. Park Sang Ha for sending the Korean team,” said Tamayo.
Arcilla leaned on reliable teammates Jomar Arcilla, Mikof Manduriao, Jopy Mamawal and Davis Alano; while Zoleta was joined in the winners podium by veterans Cheryl Macasera and Deena Cruz together with greenhorns Chynna Mamawal and Denden Peralta in the trip supported by the Philippine Olympic Committee, Philippine Sports Commission and soft tennis patron BGEN Dr. Antonio L. Tamayo.- http://manilastandardtoday.com
Jailani can't wait to score
IN what will be his third appearance at the CEO and Celebrity Charity Tennis tournament this year, eCEOs chief executive officer Jailani Mustafa is looking to bank on his experience to excel at the Dec 9 event.
Jailani, whose company is also the co-organisers of the competition, said he is targeting an improved performance over his mid-table finishes at the 2009 and 2010 editions.
"Having played more singles than doubles since I finished school, competing here in my first two years was certainly an eye-opener," said Jailani. "I have learnt a number of tips and tricks along the way.
"Doing well at this tournament is more about utilising well-placed, angled shots and mixing the pace than it is about power.
"Winning it overall will be tough with the high quality of players competing this year. There are also elements which may be out of my control.
"However, I am in good shape having been playing weekly at Kelab Golf Negara Subang, so I feel I have a chance to do well this year."
Jailani, who in 1984 helped the Federal Territories to a third-place finish in doubles competition at the Malaysian School Sports Council (MSSM) championships, said it was the enjoyable atmosphere of the tournament which inspired him to play a bigger role in the event.
"I really enjoyed my experience playing here in 2009 and 2010. It is a great way to enjoy the sport while making friends and contributing to charity.
"I really liked the idea (of charity through sports) and decided to do more for the cause which is why we are joint organisers of the event this year."
After first being held in 2008, the CEO and Celebrity Charity Tennis is making a return after a one-year lapse.
Players will play five doubles matches each with different partners and those who accumulate the most points will be declared the winners.
Each player will have to contribute a minimum of RM1,000 as participation fee while companies wanting to become corporate donors must purse RM5,000 to have their logos in the tournament's publicity materials.
The last edition in 2010 raised RM61,160.
Trio ready to serve
MEDIA Prima Berhad personalities Adriana Aris, Abu Bakar Atan and Seelan Paul are raring to do their part for a good cause at the CEO and Celebrity Charity Tennis tournament at the National Tennis Centre in Kuala Lumpur on Sunday.
Adriana, 41, NT7's news operations and creative marketing manager, said she felt compelled to take part in the event despite usually not having much time for the sport due to her busy daily schedule.
"I am more of a recreational player and usually would not be interested in joining tournaments but playing tennis for charity really struck a chord with me," said Adriana, who anchors the channel's 7 edition news.
Seelan, Media Prima Radio Networks' chief executive officer, said he was looking forward to enjoying the game and making new friends.
"This will be my fourth time playing in the tournament and I can say I have always enjoyed the friendly atmosphere at the event,"said the 38-year-old, who is also Media Prima Television Networks chief strategy officer.
TV3's sports personality Abu Bakar Atan, who in his formative years in the sport sparred with former national players V. Selvam and R. Ramachandran in his hometown of Port Dickson, will arguably provide the strongest challenge for the title from the Media Prima trio.
Abu Bakar, 50, said he will be wielding his trusty racquet given to him by another former national player, Adam Malik, after his commendable run to the quarter-finals of the Salem Open ATP Tour championships in Kuala Lumpur in 1994.
"Despite it being quite old now, it has been my favourite racquet through the years and I will be depending on it once again this week," said Abu Bakar, who is Primeworks sports division head of production.
After first being held in 2008, the CEO and Celebrity Charity Tennis is making a return after a one-year lapse.
Players will play five doubles matches each with different partners and those who accumulate the most points will be declared the winners.
Each player will have to contribute a minimum of RM1,000 as participation fee while companies wanting to become corporate donors must purse RM5,000 to have their logos in the tournament's publicity materials.- www.nst.com.my
Jojo worried about her serve
JOJO Struys loves to play tennis with the guys as it brings out the best in her.
"I like playing with the guys as they hit the ball a lot harder. I used to play a lot of tennis but now I play whenever I can due to my busy schedule. I will start by practising with the guys soon," said Jojo, TV host, producer and model.
Jojo, however, hopes she will be able to improve her serve before the CEO & Celebrity Charity Tennis on Dec 9.
"My serve is not very good but my forehand game has got better. I need, however, to improve on it. I hope my doubles partners will be patient with me during the competition," she said.
The 37-year-old was also a talented runner in her teens in Singapore.
"I was the national 3,000 metres champion in Singapore. I have always been active in sports. Currently, I indulge in dancing and also do a bit of running," she said.
On the charity tournament, Jojo said she feels honoured to be one of the invitees.
"It is a great way to contribute to charity. I hope to have a fun time. It is my third appearance in this event," she said.
The event, scheduled for the National Tennis Centre in Kuala Lumpur, will be played on a one-set format where a player will rotate with different partners and compete in five rounds. The individual with the highest accumulated points will be declared the winner.
NST and eCEOs Sdn Bhd are joint organisers of the fourth edition of the event while Dunlop, Mohamed Ridza & Co, Petra Energy Berhad, Cahya Mata Sarawak Berhad, Mudajaya Group Berhad and the Lawn Tennis Association of Malaysia are the official partners.- www.nst.com.my
Young hopefuls get a headstart
SEREMBAN: CHILDREN under eight years old ruled the courts at a tennis clinic held at the Paroi Youth and Sports Complex recently.
Over 130 children from 15 primary schools in Seremban attended the event organised Negri Sembilan Lawn Tennis Association (NSLTA), Negri Sembilan Education Department (JPNS) and Negri Sembilan State Sports Council (MSNNS).
During the day-long clinic, the children learnt basic skills of mini tennis such as coordination, ball sense, balance, serve, forehand and backhand.
The aim of the clinic was to introduce tennis to children who are raw talents and beginners.
In addition, it was also used to spot talents based on their agility, reflexes, intelligence and good ball sense.
By their children’s keen interest and excitement on the courts, parents were also introduced to the sport of tennis.
Eight year old Nur Ain Nadhirah Adnan said: “I have been playing tennis for three years.
“While meeting many of my friends here, I learnt volley, backhand and forehand.
“I love to watch Maria Sharapova and Roger Federer in action on television.”
Pint sized Anisa Humairah Abdul Halim, 7, said: “I learnt to adjust my strokes according to the speed of the ball.
“I have been playing tennis for only four months.”
Clinic coordinator Azam Baba said there was no shortage of talent at the grassroots level.
“Through exhibition matches we showed the participants, children as young as seven and eight
years old could play competitive tennis.
“Mini tennis is an affordable game whereby it can be played on any even surface in places such as supermarkets, public halls and sports courts.
“For next year NSLTA is planning mini tennis camps and coaching clinics starting in January in Jempol, then move on to other districts.”- www.nst.com.my
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