Local tennis fans are in for a big treat as recently-crowned US Open doubles champions Jurgen Melzer of Austria and German Philipp Petzschner will be competing in the Malaysian Open at the Putra Stadium in Bukit Jalil from Sept 24-Oct 2.
The duo will be playing in the Asian circuit for the first time since winning the US Open last Saturday.
“We are really looking forward to being in Kuala Lumpur,” said Melzer.
“I have seen tennis increase in popularity in Asia over recent years. I am sure the fans in KL will give us a great welcome, especially now with this new title which Philipp and I are very proud of,” added Melzer.The US Open final was an overwhelming result for Melzer and Petzschner as they defeated the Polish combination of Mariusz Fyrstenberg and Marcin Matkowski 6-2, 6-2 in the final. Fyrstenberg and Matkowski were the Malaysian Open champions in 2009 and finalists in 2010. They, however, are skipping this year’s tournament.
Melzer and Petzschner came to the forefront of the doubles game in 2010 when they became the surprise Wimbledon champions. They have produced some solid results ever since and are now considered one of the best doubles combinations in the world.
Tournament director Nick Freyer said he was pleased to get Melzer and Petzschner on board.
“The doubles game is always exciting and fast paced. Having the US Open champions in our line-up gives the tournament an elevated status,” said Freyer.
For Melzer and Petzschner, the US Open was their third title of the year and fifth overall. Besides Wimbledon, they also won in Zagreb. This season, they were victorious in Stuttgart and Rotterdam. They are now ranked fifth in the world and have qualified for the year-end ATP World Tour Finals in London.
“I think it was a great win (the US Open) and we played an incredible match,” Petzschner said. “We are now 5-0 in finals. It’s great. Winning another Grand Slam title is an amazing feeling.”
Malaysia’s Si Yew Ming will also be playing in the doubles. He will be partnering American Ryan Harrison.
India’s Somdev Devvarman-Treat Conrad Huey of the Philippines, American Alex Bogomolov Jr-Czech Lukas Rosol and Lukas Dlouhy of the Czech Republic-Brazilian Marcelo Melo are among the other pairs competing for the title.- Ramaguru (Star)
