CRICKET fans will be in for a treat at tennis' BMW Malaysian Open.
Former Pakistan captain Shoaib Malik arrived yesterday with wife Sania Mirza in Kuala Lumpur where he will be at centre court to watch her compete for honours in the tournament.
With Shoaib at her side, Sania will be inspired to make a lasting impression at the Bukit Kiara Equestrian & Country Club
"My focus is on the doubles ahead of the Olympic Games. However, I also want to make inroads in the singles here.
"This tournament is part of my preparation for the Olympics, where I stand a good chance of a medal in mixed doubles (with Mahesh Bhupathi)," said Sania in an e-mail interview yesterday.
"KL is one of my favourite cities and I am looking forward to a good run here. I played here twice, once in exhibition matches and the other in the Fed Cup Qualifiers."
The World No 113, however, has not been performing in the singles since her last victory, seven years ago in Hyderabad but the signs are she is rediscovering her form following her surprise run to the quarter-finals of the recent Pattaya Open.
"I am still trying to build up my confidence. Yes, I have done better in doubles and I think the three surgeries I've had in the last four years have made it difficult for me to perform consistently in singles."
The 26-year-old, a crowd favourite in Kuala Lumpur, will face Greece's Eleni Daniildou in the opening rounds today.
Sania, who is one of India's poster girls, tied the knot with Shoaib two years ago but marriage has not stopped her from pursuing a career in tennis. She, however, did contemplate quitting the sport but decided against it.
Monday, 27 February 2012
Sunday, 26 February 2012
Polish beauty aims for back-to-back titles
BMW Malaysian Open top seed Agnieszka Radwanska will be hoping to win back-to-back WTA titles at the Bukit Kiara Equestrian and Country Club.
Radwanska won the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championship yesterday after defeating Julia Goerges of Germany 7-5, 6-4 to claim her eight WTA title.
The 22-year-old Pole did not have much time to celebrate as she had to catch the next flight out to Kuala Lumpur.
"I don't have much time now. In three or four hours I have a flight to Kuala Lumpur," she said after her triumph in Dubai and an obvious reference to the BMW Malaysian Open. "Everything is pretty last minute. But I think it's a good problem!”
As a result of her win in Dubai, Radwanska will move up a rank into World No.5 when the new standings are released tomorrow (Monday).
"It's great, but it's still far from being No. 1. It looks pretty close, but it's still far. But I'm not really going to think about it too much. I'm going to keep playing my game and try to keep up my good tennis, especially in big events like this. I just want to enjoy my tennis and try win matches."
And come March 4, Radwańska will be looking for an early birthday present ( she turns 23 on March 6) as she aims to add the BMW Malaysian Open to her win in Dubai.
She has reached five Grand Slam quarterfinals, becoming the first Polish woman in the WTA to do so. But it is winning a Grand Slam that she aspires the most.
Radwanska who aspires to win a Grand Slam title and lists Pete Sampras as her all time favourite tennis player because he has won everything there is to win in tennis.
“My goal in life is to win a Grand Slam title and in order to do that I need to be playing consistently well in a tournament,” said Radwanska.
“That is why I admire Sampras for he has won everything there is to win in tennis and I really respect that feat he has achieved.”
In 2008, she became the first Polish female tennis player to surpass US$1 million in career prize money.
She started playing tennis at the tender age of 4, introduced to the sport by her father Robert who still has a hand in coaching her till today.
A baseliner that favours playing on grass, Radwanska is pursuing studies in Tourism at the Polish Sports University in Krakov.
Radwanska hits consistently on both the forehand and the backhand sides. Her favorite shot is her forehand, particularly the inside-out forehand.
She is also very accurate with the drop shot and lob, and relies on tactical accuracy and patience in constructing the point before hitting a winner.
Radwanska opens her BMW Malaysian Open campaign against Akgul Amanmuradova of Uzbekistan.The Pole is in the same half as defending champion Jelena Dokic and tournament fourth seed Jarmila Gajdosova, both from Australia.
Entrance to the BMW Malaysian Open is free until Wednesday. For more information on the tournament, visit www.bmwmalaysianopen.com
Radwanska won the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championship yesterday after defeating Julia Goerges of Germany 7-5, 6-4 to claim her eight WTA title.
The 22-year-old Pole did not have much time to celebrate as she had to catch the next flight out to Kuala Lumpur.
"I don't have much time now. In three or four hours I have a flight to Kuala Lumpur," she said after her triumph in Dubai and an obvious reference to the BMW Malaysian Open. "Everything is pretty last minute. But I think it's a good problem!”
As a result of her win in Dubai, Radwanska will move up a rank into World No.5 when the new standings are released tomorrow (Monday).
"It's great, but it's still far from being No. 1. It looks pretty close, but it's still far. But I'm not really going to think about it too much. I'm going to keep playing my game and try to keep up my good tennis, especially in big events like this. I just want to enjoy my tennis and try win matches."
And come March 4, Radwańska will be looking for an early birthday present ( she turns 23 on March 6) as she aims to add the BMW Malaysian Open to her win in Dubai.
She has reached five Grand Slam quarterfinals, becoming the first Polish woman in the WTA to do so. But it is winning a Grand Slam that she aspires the most.
Radwanska who aspires to win a Grand Slam title and lists Pete Sampras as her all time favourite tennis player because he has won everything there is to win in tennis.
“My goal in life is to win a Grand Slam title and in order to do that I need to be playing consistently well in a tournament,” said Radwanska.
“That is why I admire Sampras for he has won everything there is to win in tennis and I really respect that feat he has achieved.”
In 2008, she became the first Polish female tennis player to surpass US$1 million in career prize money.
She started playing tennis at the tender age of 4, introduced to the sport by her father Robert who still has a hand in coaching her till today.
A baseliner that favours playing on grass, Radwanska is pursuing studies in Tourism at the Polish Sports University in Krakov.
Radwanska hits consistently on both the forehand and the backhand sides. Her favorite shot is her forehand, particularly the inside-out forehand.
She is also very accurate with the drop shot and lob, and relies on tactical accuracy and patience in constructing the point before hitting a winner.
Radwanska opens her BMW Malaysian Open campaign against Akgul Amanmuradova of Uzbekistan.The Pole is in the same half as defending champion Jelena Dokic and tournament fourth seed Jarmila Gajdosova, both from Australia.
Entrance to the BMW Malaysian Open is free until Wednesday. For more information on the tournament, visit www.bmwmalaysianopen.com
Jawariah shown the exit
JAWAIRIAH Noordin became the first local to win a set in the BMW Malaysian Open but the 22-year-old still went home a loser yesterday.
The 22-year-old was defeated 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 by Japan's World No 387 Shuko Aoyama in the first round of the qualifiers.
Jawairiah, however, could have done better had she been fitter. The other factor that affected her play was that she suffered breathing difficulties after training on Monday.
The Penang-born struggled with her game in the third set, where she allowed Shuko to break her twice for a 4-0 lead before rain halted play for nearly one hour.
When play resumed, Jawairiah broke twice to reduce the deficit before Shuko sealed the match.
"I could have won if my fitness was better. I trained only two months for this event," said Jawairiah at the Bukit Kiara Equestrian & Country Club.
"I need to improve my fitness to go far in this sport. I believe this defeat will motivate me to train harder for upcoming tournaments."
On her breathing difficulties, Jawairiah said: "I was on drips at the Penang Hospital but the doctor cleared me on the same day."
Malaysia's campaign officially ended after Choo Lyn Yuen was thrashed 6-0, 6-2 by Ukraine's Tetyana Arefeva. It was Lyn Yuen's first ever experience on the tour.
"I did not make many mistakes but my opponent killed me off with her power and speed. I need to toughen up," said the Form Four student of SMK Batu Lintang.
She said: "It was a good experience but it could be my first and last tour match as I do not want to turn professional. I intend to join my sisters in the United States."
The 22-year-old was defeated 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 by Japan's World No 387 Shuko Aoyama in the first round of the qualifiers.
Jawairiah, however, could have done better had she been fitter. The other factor that affected her play was that she suffered breathing difficulties after training on Monday.
The Penang-born struggled with her game in the third set, where she allowed Shuko to break her twice for a 4-0 lead before rain halted play for nearly one hour.
When play resumed, Jawairiah broke twice to reduce the deficit before Shuko sealed the match.
"I could have won if my fitness was better. I trained only two months for this event," said Jawairiah at the Bukit Kiara Equestrian & Country Club.
"I need to improve my fitness to go far in this sport. I believe this defeat will motivate me to train harder for upcoming tournaments."
On her breathing difficulties, Jawairiah said: "I was on drips at the Penang Hospital but the doctor cleared me on the same day."
Malaysia's campaign officially ended after Choo Lyn Yuen was thrashed 6-0, 6-2 by Ukraine's Tetyana Arefeva. It was Lyn Yuen's first ever experience on the tour.
"I did not make many mistakes but my opponent killed me off with her power and speed. I need to toughen up," said the Form Four student of SMK Batu Lintang.
She said: "It was a good experience but it could be my first and last tour match as I do not want to turn professional. I intend to join my sisters in the United States."
Tough challenge for Jelena
DEFENDING champion Jelena Dokic has been handed a tough challenge after she was drawn in the top half of the BMW Malaysian Open along with Poland's World No 6 Agnieszka Radswanska.
When asked about the draw, Jelena joked: "Defending the title is harder than winning it.
"I don't usually look at the draw. Players only look at their first match and it's the same for me. I want to focus on my first round match before looking ahead," said the seventh seed at the Bukit Kiara Equestrian & Country Club yesterday.
Jelena play France's Kristina Mladenovic in the opening round tomorrow.
She defeated Czech Republic's Lucie Safarova in last year's final before reaching the final of the Hertogenbosch Open but her performance has slumped since then.
"It's not fair to say I did not perform up to expectations. I battled a shoulder injury for six months but I am glad it is back to normal.
"Of course I want to do well in Kuala Lumpur again but as I said, it's best not to think too far ahead," Jelena added.
Others in the top half of the draw are Australian top seed Jarmila Gajdosova and crowd favourite Sania Mirza of India.
Jelena is expected to face Jarmila in the quarter-finals and assuming she wins, the Australian will likely meet Agnieszka in the last four.
The World No 74, however, should have an upperhand over Europe-based players in terms of the weather as she came to Kuala Lumpur from Australia, where it is summer.
World No 14 Jelena Jankovic will lead the charge in the bottom half of the draw, where the Serbian, who will turn 28 on Tuesday, faces France's Carolina Garcia in the first round.
The second seed is drawn to play Japan's sixth seed Ayumi Morita in the quarter-finals and China's third seed Peng Shuai in the semi-finals.
Barring upsets, the final could serve a rematch of the Dubai Championship semi-finals between Agnieszka and Jelena, which the Polish won 6-2, 2-6, 6-0 on Friday.
When asked about the draw, Jelena joked: "Defending the title is harder than winning it.
"I don't usually look at the draw. Players only look at their first match and it's the same for me. I want to focus on my first round match before looking ahead," said the seventh seed at the Bukit Kiara Equestrian & Country Club yesterday.
Jelena play France's Kristina Mladenovic in the opening round tomorrow.
She defeated Czech Republic's Lucie Safarova in last year's final before reaching the final of the Hertogenbosch Open but her performance has slumped since then.
"It's not fair to say I did not perform up to expectations. I battled a shoulder injury for six months but I am glad it is back to normal.
"Of course I want to do well in Kuala Lumpur again but as I said, it's best not to think too far ahead," Jelena added.
Others in the top half of the draw are Australian top seed Jarmila Gajdosova and crowd favourite Sania Mirza of India.
Jelena is expected to face Jarmila in the quarter-finals and assuming she wins, the Australian will likely meet Agnieszka in the last four.
The World No 74, however, should have an upperhand over Europe-based players in terms of the weather as she came to Kuala Lumpur from Australia, where it is summer.
World No 14 Jelena Jankovic will lead the charge in the bottom half of the draw, where the Serbian, who will turn 28 on Tuesday, faces France's Carolina Garcia in the first round.
The second seed is drawn to play Japan's sixth seed Ayumi Morita in the quarter-finals and China's third seed Peng Shuai in the semi-finals.
Barring upsets, the final could serve a rematch of the Dubai Championship semi-finals between Agnieszka and Jelena, which the Polish won 6-2, 2-6, 6-0 on Friday.
Agnieszka, Jelena to the rescue
TOP seed Marion Bartoli and former World No 1 Venus Williams have withdrawn from next week's BMW Malaysian Open.
Marion cited injury as her reason while Venus is still struggling with illness.
The tournament, however, will not lose its glitter as tournament organiser, Carbon Worldwide, has secured Poland's World No 6 Agnieszka Radwanska and Serbia's former World No 1 Jelena Jankovic as their replacements.
They are expected to jet straight to Kuala Lumpur from the Middle East, where they are presently competing in the Dubai Open.
Agnieszka and Jelena, the World No 13, will be the top two seeds with the latter replacing China's World No 17 Peng Shuai as the second seed.
The 22-year-old Agnieszka, whose younger sister Urszula also plays on the tour, has won seven career titles. It will be her first visit to Kuala Lumpur.
As for Jelena, who defeated Australia's US Open champion Samantha Stosur in the quarter-finals of the Dubai Open on Thursday, she was a World No 1 for only a week in 2008.
The 27-year-old has won 13 career titles and her best achievement in a Grand Slam was reaching the final of the 2008 US Open.
Jelena is determined to regain her former status after several promising performances this season.
Malaysia's Jawairiah Noordin and Choo Lyn Yuen will both begin their campaign today in the qualifying round.
'Do it because you want it'
FORMER World No 7 Barbara Schett singled out goal-setting and exposure as the key points for players wanting to make a successful professional career in tennis.
"Players need to set goals and must be consistent with training but most importantly they must do it willingly.
"It is important to push yourself but make sure you are doing it because you want it and not for other people," Barbara told Timesport during the recent Australian Open in Melbourne.
"Exposure at a young age is important. I started at three and, at 14 or 15 I played my first grand slam at the French Open.
"I did not do well but my failure made me more motivated to train and try harder.
"Training is the key for players. I used to train for six or seven hours a day including on-court practice, gym sessions and conditioning.
"A person needs to love tennis in order to stay focused as it is a fulltime job."
Barbara's advice should be noted by local players, Jawairiah Noordin and 16-year-old Choo Lyn Yuen, who both will play in the BMW Malaysian Open which starts with the qualifying round today.
Jawairiah's best result since turning professional in 2007 was reaching the semi-finals of the ITF Surakata Open four years ago.
The 22-year-old, however, has not made any impact in international events except for the team event bronze medals at the 2007 and 2009 Sea Games.
As for Lyn Yuen, who won the 2010 Brunei Junior Championships, she will be making her maiden appearance in a WTA Tour event at the Malaysian Open.
"Players must learn from each failure and make adjustments to move forward.
"My advice to them is to give their best shot in the tournament," said the 36-year-old.
Barbara said local tennis federations must also support their top junior players.
"Players need the funding to cover their training and competition expenses but of course, parents must also do their part.
"When I was a junior, my tennis was funded by the Austrian federation until I was about 18 and 19 and after that I was on my own.
"It was not hard for me as I was always the No 1 in my age-group," added Barbara.
Barbara, who won 13 tour titles in both singles and doubles before retiring in 2005, is now a Eurosport presenter.
Friday, 24 February 2012
Venus and Bartoli have withdrawn
Newsflash (Exclusive):Former World 1 Venus Williams and Marion Bartoli have withdrawn from next week's BMW Malaysian Open. Organisers, Carbon Worldwide, however, has secured World No 6 Agnieszka Radwanska and No.13 Jelena Jankovic as their replacements. Agnieszka is the new top seed. The draw will be conducted tomorrow.
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