FORMER national No 1 V. Selvam and Noordin Omar, the father of top local player Jawairiah, will make their debuts on the ITF Seniors Circuit at the inaugural Malaysian Seniors Championships (Grade Five) which starts today at the National Tennis Centre in Kuala Lumpur.
Tournament director Fadilah Ghani said the tournament has attracted players from Australia, Germany, Indonesia, India and Nepal.
"A total of 70 players will compete for honours in four age groups, comprising 35-39, 40-44, 50-54 and 60-64. It is a good number for an inaugural tournament," said Fadilah, a former national coach, yesterday
"Selvam is still beating players half his age in 'Open' events after retirement and I foresee him putting up a strong performance in the 40- 44 age group while Noordin, a former Penang champion, is one of the better locals in the 50-54 category."
Among the other Malaysians competing are Juan Los Santos (60-64), Lee Vun Tsir (35-over), Megat Khairul, Wan Abdul Rahman (40-44) and TV personality Abu Bakar Atan (50-54).
"Thailand were supposed to send a team for this tournament but they have withdrawn due to the recent floods. We will only offer ITF ranking points as according to ITF rules, a Grade Five tournament does not need to offer prize money," said Fadilah.
India have a strong field led by World No 217 (50-0ver) Raju PR along with Pramod Kumar Patneik and Yogesh Shah.
The tournament, sanctioned by ITF, will end on Sunday. For details, visit www.malaysianseniorstennis.com .
