History in the making

THE Kuala Lumpur International Open will offer the richest purse in National Tennis Circuit history when the five-day event gets underway on June 6. The KL Lawn Tennis Association (KLLTA) announced yesterday that a total of RM40,000 will be paid out to the top finishers in men's and women's singles and doubles, and men's Masters and veterans. The tournament has attracted players from neighbouring countries while Uzbekistan, China and Mongolia are also showing keen interest. The event, which is the third leg of the tour, will be held at the National Tennis Centre (NTC) in Jalan Duta and also at KL City Hall Complex in Tasik Titiwangsa. Among the confirmed local players are National No 1 Si Yew Ming, Ariez Elyaas Deen Heshaam, Ahmad Deedat, Ashaari Zainal Abidin and Choo Lyn Yee. Yew Ming, who performed well at last month's Asia/Oceania Davis Cup Group III event, is the favourite to win a second straight tour title. The 33-year-old was beaten by Ariez Elyaas in the first leg. KLLTA vice-president Mirzan Mahathir said more than 300 players are expected to sign up for the event. "We have commissioned a new trophy for this year's edition to reflect its prestige. The men's singles champion will make history as the first name to be inscribed on the KLLTA Challenge Trophy," said Mirzan at NTC. Email Print 30 May 2012 | Last updated at 12:33AM TENNIS: History in the making By AJITPAL SINGH | ajitpalsingh@nst.com.my 0 comments RICHEST EVER: KL Open purse increased to RM40,000 . Petaling Jaya Mayor, Datuk Mohd Roslan Sakiman (centre) with sponsors after the MBPJ Junior Championships press conference yesterday. Pic by Supian Ahmad 1 / 1 THE Kuala Lumpur International Open will offer the richest purse in National Tennis Circuit history when the five-day event gets underway on June 6. The KL Lawn Tennis Association (KLLTA) announced yesterday that a total of RM40,000 will be paid out to the top finishers in men's and women's singles and doubles, and men's Masters and veterans. The tournament has attracted players from neighbouring countries while Uzbekistan, China and Mongolia are also showing keen interest. The event, which is the third leg of the tour, will be held at the National Tennis Centre (NTC) in Jalan Duta and also at KL City Hall Complex in Tasik Titiwangsa. Among the confirmed local players are National No 1 Si Yew Ming, Ariez Elyaas Deen Heshaam, Ahmad Deedat, Ashaari Zainal Abidin and Choo Lyn Yee. Yew Ming, who performed well at last month's Asia/Oceania Davis Cup Group III event, is the favourite to win a second straight tour title. The 33-year-old was beaten by Ariez Elyaas in the first leg. KLLTA vice-president Mirzan Mahathir said more than 300 players are expected to sign up for the event. "We have commissioned a new trophy for this year's edition to reflect its prestige. The men's singles champion will make history as the first name to be inscribed on the KLLTA Challenge Trophy," said Mirzan at NTC yesterday. "Singapore, Indonesia and Thailand will send their players who are high on the International Tennis Federation (ITF) rankings. We have also invited several countries from East Asia. "We are expecting an eventful tournament following the increase of prize money from RM28,000 to RM40,000." KLLTA will also be organising a carnival, themed "Tennis Island", on June 9 to introduce the game to youngsters between the ages of six and 15. "We hope to attract as many youngsters as possible to join in the fun. We have many exciting activities being planned as well as a mini concert featuring top local acts," Mirzan added. Meanwhile, the MBPJ Junior Championships which start on Saturday, will see 180 players competing for honours in five categories (10-and-under, 12-and-under, 14-and-under, 16-and-under and 18-and-under). Petaling Jaya Mayor Datuk Mohd Roslan Sakiman, who launched the event at the MBPJ headquarters yesterday, said the tournament will offer prize money to the winners for the first time. "It is a new beginning for junior tennis in PJ but I am looking at increasing the prize money a little," said Roslan. The winners of each category will receive RM100 while the runners-up get RM50. The tournament will be held at three venues - MBPJ and PKNS Sports Complexes; and PJ Astaka.- www.nst.com.my

Tennis academy in Sabah

A PLAN to set up a tennis academy at theSutera Harbour Resort is in the works as the resort teams up with Sabah Tennis Association (STA) to promote the game in the state. The initiative is expected to start next monthfor a three-year period in collaboration with Pure Tennis, a tennis academy based in Singapore, said STA. “This programme will definitely give special impetus to tennis in Sabah,” the association added. “Details will be announced by Sutera Harbour at a later date, and STA is working closely with the resort on this matter.” Both parties have actually been working closely for several years and plans to embark on a more aggressive route is in order as the resorts’s general manager Bryan Werner comeson board. A very active sportsman and experienced sports organiser, Werner metwith Lawn Tennis Association of Malaysia (LTAM) president Tan Sri Abdul Razak Latiff at the resort in Kota Kinabalu recently. The STA, whicharranged the meeting, hopes to see more international tennis events held in the state. STA president Johnson Koh mapped out Sabah tennis to Abdul Razak and also briefed him on the Level One coaches course. He also emphasised on the need for moretournaments in Sabah. “During the meeting, a request was forwarded to LTAM to give one slot to Sabah to host one of the leg of the Tennis Futures in Kota Kinabalu. This will be jointly hosted by STA and Sutera Harbour. “Abdul Razak immediately agreed on the matter and will advise STA on the dates for the leg to be held next year,” said Koh. In the meantime, Sutera Harbour has also agreed to sponsor the 1Malaysia Datin Rosmah Mansor Team Tennis Invitational and the Asia Tennis Federation (ATF) Under-14 tournament on July 13-15 and Sept 23-27 respectively. - By Kristy Inus.

Jamil grabs two titles at tennis meet

Mohamad Jamil Abdul Samah swept the men's singles and doubles titles at the 2012 Sandakan Closed Tennis Championships recently. The 25-year-old, formerly one of the top juniors in the state, was in uncompromising mood as he easily won the singles title without dropping a set throughout the event. A powerful display of precision tennis in the final saw him defeat Ryan Mauleon Guasis 6-4, 6-2 to claim the crown. Jamil claimed his second title when he partnered school teacher Iruwan Amboragang of SK Tanjung Batu, Sandakan, to victory over Gary Leong and Desmond Ang in the final. With Jamil's power game complemented effectively by Iruwan's sharp and deceptive volleying, the duo successfully fought their way to the title by a convincing 6-3, 6-1 win. Meanwhile, 46-year-old 'junior veteran' Chin Ming Boak also clinched twin victories in the men's veterans' category. Played in a round-robin format, he won all his matches to emerge the undisputed singles champion among the four contestants. Amir Bukhari Mohd Razali was second while former three-time Sabah champion Simon Wong was third. Ming Boak's success continued in the veterans' doubles when he and Peter Poon also won all their round-robin ties to be declared champions. Amir Bukhari Mohd Razali/Abd Halim Hj Hussin came in second. Five pairs took part in this event. At the prize-giving dinner, joint tournament sponsors SDTA President Taren Sunil Manoharan and Vice-President Koichi Murakami, presented the prizes and medals to the winners. - http://www.dailyexpress.com.my

Kaoy can be next Adam Malik

National junior tennis player Koay Hao Seng can be the next Adam Malik of Malaysia if given the chance to train overseas and play in more international competitions. International Tennis Federation (ITF) representative to the Asia-Oceania Zone Final Qualifying for the World Junior Team Competition (Boys) Ajay Pathak said the 13-year-old boy from Perlis had great potential to go far in tennis with proper guidance and coaching. “I think the Lawn Tennis Association of Malaysia (LTAM) should give him the maximum opportunity by sending him to train at one of the tennis academies in Spain,” Ajay told The Borneo Post last Saturday. “He can be the next Adam Malik of Malaysia. You don’t have many good players like Adam in Malaysia,” he added. Ajay, also ITF Junior Committee member and Asian Tennis Federation Junior Committee chairman, said Koay was fortunate to have wealthy parents who can afford to send him overseas and sponsors can also come in to support him. “I’m very impressed by his performance in the World Junior Team Competition final qualifying in Kuching this week and although Malaysia lost all but one of their matches, I think they have also shown improvement,” said Ajay. This was because when compared to previous years, Malaysia used to lose 3-0 to their counterparts from the Asia-Oceania region but now they only lose 2-1. “This is a team competition and to shine in the competition, all members must be good players. I believe Koay can do well if he plays in individual competitions.” In the singles matches of the World Junior Team Competition final qualifying, Koay beat Philippines’ Eric Olivarez Jr 6-1, 6-1, Anthony Jackie Tang of Hong Kong 6-4, 7-6(5), Indonesian Bryan Husin 4-6, 6-3, 6-0 and only lost 0-6, 3-6 to Australia’s Oliver Anderson and 5-7, 1-4 (retired) to Kareem Al-Allaf of Kazakhstan due to injury. Koay scored a double triumph at the 2nd Penang Asian U14 Series Tennis Championship in March this year. He beat Yu Hua Chen of Taiwan to clinch the Boys singles crown and partnered Sherwin Foo to beat compatriots Talhah Mohamad Rahizam and Sheikh Ameer Sheikh Ahmad 7-4, 6-5 for the boys doubles crown. At the 3rd leg of the LTAM Sport Excel U14 Circuit in July last year, Koay won his first boys doubles title with Khairil Anas Abd Rahim.

Imran wins in Hat Yai

IMRAN, the son of former national No. 2 Abdul Hazli Zainuddin, clinched the boys’ eight-and-under title at the PTT Junior Tennis Championships at Hat Yai Municipality Courts yesterday. The 6-year-old, who trains with his dad regularly at the National Tennis Centre in Kuala Lumpur, turned on a master class performance to overcome his rivals.

Funding for courts in Sabah

TENNIS enthusiasts in Sandakan can look forward to better days after the government’s recent announcement to resurface four courts. Youth and Sports Minister Datuk Peter Pang En Yin revealed that RM128,000 has been approved for the project at the tennis centre owned by the Sandakan Municipal Council. Sabah Tennis Association president Johnson Koh said the minister made the surprise announcement during a friendly match between the association, its affiliate the Sandakan Tennis Association and the Sibu Recreation Club. Koh revealed the courts are under the care of the Sandakan Tennis Association and described the resurfacing project as a windfall for tennis enthusiasts in the east coast district. “The new courts will help further promote the sport in the district,” he said. Koh also said that the Sabah Tennis Association’s 26th Inter Affiliate championship this year will be held in Kota Kinabalu on May 25-27. “Kota Kinabalu will be the favourites to defend their title but there may be a few surprises from other districts,” he said of the tournament which will see six districts competing in four categories — men, women,juniors and veterans. By Roy Goh (NST)

Why Hide Behind The Cloak of the Internet? (LTAM website)

KUALA LUMPUR, May 20, 2012– It has been quite some time since I last wrote this column. I must say this column is not only meant to share with our readers of LTAM’s plans but also to provide our side of the story, given the fact that we are seldom being granted the right of reply in the mainstream media. Our detractors seem to thrive on other people’s modesty and civility. I was wrong to think these “sick people” have repented. Recently there has been another spate of e-mails but from a different person purported to be from somebody by the name of BS Sidhu. I’m not too sure if these e-mails are from the same “sick people” working under disguise. Sad to say, the allegations and accusations are again unsubstantiated, disjointed and manipulated. Unfortunately, they warrant the attention of those who do not know about tennis activities and its development in the country. Nevertheless the allegations are indeed serious, written with malice and evil intention solely meant to deliver character assassination on me as President of LTAM. However, I am happy as he has boldly put his name and address and I presumed, he really meant what he alleged. Let me share something with our readers. Tennis is full of funny characters. There is one particular father who is known to harass and abuse officials, parents, coaches, his own kids and other kids resulting in him being banned by a State association. LTAM decided not to interfere. We remained above the fray and did not take any action against him as this may be interpreted as victimising his kids’ involvement in tennis. But this fellow has gone to great lengths to discredit LTAM and me. Should LTAM entertain a person like him who also has a couple of police reports against him? The sad thing these reports have racial insinuations. If go unabated will create problems within the tennis fraternity. If this fellow is the same individual who wrote and attached these allegations in his e-mails, then he has given me the opportunity to take action against him by bringing him into the ring. It is difficult to “box” with your opponent if he keeps on throwing stones and insults from outside the ring. We did call him through one of our Exco to engage with us by meeting the LTAM Exco on the 18 May recently but he declined. Again I have been forced to lodge a police report, similar to that I made against a retired Army Lieutenant Colonel. I hope this will give him the opportunity to substantiate his allegations against me and I can clear my name once and for all. I am pretty sure the allegations come from a group of individuals who hide behind the cloak of the Internet.I am not going to waste column inches and answer all these allegations on this Tie Break Corner. Why should I be shooting at an invisible target? Some may accuse me of a lot of things. For their information, I did not charge my expenses incurred on behalf of LTAM and the reason why I am able to source for funds and sponsorship to support LTAM all this while is due to the trust I have acquired. We, at LTAM work very hard to organize events like the WTA and ATP, to secure good sponsorships so that we can channel some money towards other LTAM development activities. For everybody’s information, I run a business with an annual turnover of RM100 million per year, with interests in power plant, sports and event management and oil and gas. I am not cheap to squander LTAM’s funds of few thousands. In fact my companies had no choice but to issue payments in advance to LTAM with substantial sums, during the early years of my presidency. Substantial sum were converted to sponsorship, because there is none or when there is sponsorship it did not come in on time, more often than not after the event. To make sure the event goes on I have to unwillingly advance my money first and all these are properly accounted for. Through these unidentifiable e-mails, letters and short messages they manipulated this situation and accused me of squandering LTAM’s money. If they are really serious with their allegations please reveal yourselves and not hide behind these poison e-mails, letters and short messages? I feel saddened that my sincerity in developing tennis has been put to question by people who themselves have done little as stakeholders to develop the game. On another issue, the Forum Board for LTAM office bearers which is used to discuss certain issues and matters before they are formally accepted at our monthly Exco meeting, are not the full thread produced in the poison e-mails and letters. The Forum Board was created as a platform for office bearers to express their opinion without fear or favour. It has helped us make timely decisions as we can only meet once a month due to the nature of the composition of the Office Bearers who are mainly outside the Klang Valley. Certain contents of the Forum Board have been leaked by an insider. Well! This is beyond my control as officials are nominated and elected by the State Affiliates who are members of LTAM. I have no control with regards to the competency and trustworthiness of these office bearers other than on a trial and error basis since September 2005. On one hand State Affiliates want to be represented so that they know the activities of LTAM first hand. On the other, such representation has been subjected to abuse all this while. Even though all matters are agreed by the majority at all times, the disgruntled minority unhappy with the decision is not professional enough to keep things within themselves. We have proof of who downloaded them as we maintain the Forum Board ourselves! Let it be known to everybody, I am here to make things right for tennis. The state of affairs of tennis before I took over in September 2005 was really in shambles. I am sorry if I make the minority unhappy and I am not wrong to state these poison e-mails, letters and short messages are the work of some previous office bearers of LTAM who were “kicked out” by the majority Council Members because of their, I quote in their own words in the poison e-mails and letters, “was infested with cronyism, nepotism, discrimination, conflict of interests, financial abuses, hindrance to tennis and player’s development, ineffective and incompetent tennis development, no integrity, no transparency, no credibility. LTAM brought to disrepute by their administration”. The Constitution states the Council sits only every year unless there is an Extraordinary General Meeting. The Agenda to be discussed are very clear as stated in the Constitution and we have been following it ever since. The day to day activities of LTAM are decided by the elected office bearers as dictated by the Constitution. If at the Council Meetings you have not been entertained that is beyond my power as I am guided by the majority. How come I am accused of manipulating the decisions at LTAM Council Meeting when the majority chose not to? May be the majority of the Council Members are fed up with cowards and so called “actors” who were given the opportunity to run LTAM before but are preaching from the pulpit, not actually practising what they preach! Except for 2007, why during the last BGM I won uncontested and interesting enough I don’t belong to any State Affiliates. This means if any Council Members do not nominate me, I cannot be President!!!It saddens me that some people choose to play blind and dumb to the things that we have done. I believe we are on the right track. Compare our packed Calendar of Events with those not during my time. Only time will tell as we can only play the role of facilitator to facilitate the development of our players. Let our detractors play “evil” politics behind the cloak of the internet! - www.ltam.org.my Rest assured it is not the nomination that matters most to me. I will not overstay my welcome if I am no longer able to secure sufficient sponsorships to support LTAM’s development activities even though I may get majority votes from Council to remain as President. It saddens me that some people choose to play blind and dumb to the things that we have done. I believe we are on the right track. Compare our packed Calendar of Events with those not during my time. Only time will tell as we can only play the role of facilitator to facilitate the development of our players. Let our detractors play “evil” politics behind the cloak of the internet!

Davis Cup battle between Malaysia and Cambodia on the cards next year

Cambodia eventually earned Group III promotion following their success at the IV event in Qatar last month. We could be in for a titanic tie between Malaysia and Cambodia next year :) Final positions 1. UAE, Cambodia (both promoted) 3. Qatar, Turkmenistan 5. Saudi Arabia 6. Singapore 7. Jordan 8. Iraq 9. Myanmar 10. Bahrain Cambodia: Kenny Bun, Pannhara Mam, Samneang Long, Vetu Mam, Tep Rithivit (captain)

Cambodian tennis rises from the ashes at Davis Cup

KENNY BUN What's most remarkable about Cambodia's imminent Davis Cup debut is not that the small nation has finally made it to a top world tennis event. It's that the sport exists in Cambodia at all. When the country's number one player and budding heart-throb Bun Kenny steps onto the court in Qatar in the coming week, it will mark the crowning moment of years of effort to revive a sport that was all but wiped out by the brutal Khmer Rouge regime in the late 1970s for being too upper-class. "Tennis almost completely disappeared," Kenny told AFP as he took a break from practising his ground strokes with his three Davis Cup teammates on a recent sweltering afternoon in the Cambodian capital. "Today, for the players and for the trainers, I think it's our job to revive tennis and get more people interested in the game," the 21-year-old said, wiping the sweat off his brow. "We are looking forward to the Davis Cup. It's only the beginning." Led by "Brother Number One" Pol Pot, the Khmer Rouge dismantled modern society and launched a radical revolution that led to the deaths of up to two million people from overwork, starvation or execution between 1975 and 1979. "Like many sports, tennis was considered an elitist sport and there were no exceptions when the Khmer Rouge came. They wanted to wipe out anything that was part of the old era," said Tep Rithivit, the non-playing Davis Cup team captain and the secretary general of the Tennis Federation of Cambodia. "Pol Pot wanted to start Year Zero in Cambodia. As far as tennis was concerned, he succeeded. We had to rebuild everything from scratch." Only three of an estimated 40 players who were in the national team before the regime's "Killing Fields" era are known to have survived. One of them is Yi Sarun, an energetic 67-year-old who still hits the courts almost every day and who is widely credited for leading efforts to keep the game alive in Cambodia. "I survived because I was smart enough to lie," he told AFP after an effortless coaching lesson with a young Sri Lankan student at a sports club in Phnom Penh. "I told them I was just a cyclo driver and that in my free time I enjoyed playing football," he added, his soaked red t-shirt emblazoned with the words "From Killing Fields to Tennis Courts" -- the federation's unofficial slogan. Fellow players who didn't hide their identity from the Khmer Rouge "were considered rich people or high-ranking officials. They were killed." Sarun himself didn't come from a wealthy background but his talent for the game was discovered as a teenager when he was spotted copying the moves from the local officials he saw playing tennis in his home province. In 1975, he buried his trophies and medals, evidence of a glittering tennis career in the 1960s, and spent much of the next four years toiling in the fields, like most of his countrymen. But the endless labour did not break his spirit nor did it extinguish his love for tennis, and after the regime was ousted from power he was at the forefront of a push to wake the game from its slumber in the early 1980s. "I wanted to restart tennis because it's my skill, it's what I know... I love this sport. "We had only three players, there were no other people who knew how to play so the game was paralysed," Sarun said, recalling how they had nothing better than a fishing net to string across the court and were reliant on foreigners to bring in new equipment. Inspired by these efforts, Rithivit, whose family had left Cambodia before the Khmer Rouge era, returned to his home country in the early 1990s to help set up the Tennis Federation of Cambodia and nurture the next crop of players through free tennis lessons for school children and orphans. "I tell them never to forget what has happened in the past and try to give a better hope for the new generation," he said, standing on the sidelines of the court, not taking his eyes off the practise doubles match now going on between his four Davis Cup team members. Today, Cambodia boasts two ranked players and was allowed to join the Davis Cup competition after it hosted an ATP event last year and its membership to the International Tennis Federation was upgraded, Rithivit explained. "For us, it's the greatest tennis revival, you know. It's beating all the odds and beating all the challenges that we were confronted with... It's one of the greatest moments of tennis in Cambodia." Rithivit and the players say they hope their Davis Cup debut will lift the profile of the game in impoverished Cambodia, where it continues to be viewed as a rather expensive pastime and doesn't come close to rivalling the popularity of football or boxing. The team will start their Davis Cup campaign in Doha in the Asia-Oceania Group IV, in which 10 nations -- including Myanmar, Iraq and Singapore -- will compete from April 16-21 for two places in the next stage. "We have a good chance to be in Group III next year," said Kenny, who moved to Cambodia from France nearly two years ago to give himself the best shot at a professional tennis career. He is ranked 1192th in the world by the ATP. * Cambodia eventually earned Group III promotion following their success at the IV event in Qatar last month. We could be in for a titanic tie between Malaysia and Cambodia next year :) Final positions 1. UAE, Cambodia (both promoted) 3. Qatar, Turkmenistan 5. Saudi Arabia 6. Singapore 7. Jordan 8. Iraq 9. Myanmar 10. Bahrain Cambodia: Kenny Bun, Pannhara Mam, Samneang Long, Vetu Mam, Tep Rithivit (captain) Team captain Rithivit believes his boys feel the weight of history on their shoulders. "These guys are hungry and they are proud to play for their country. They have worked hard to be here," he said. -- AFP

Australia win Junior title

Australia emerged winners of the 2012 World Junior Tennis (WJT) Girls Championship qualifiers final, defeating China 2-0 in the final at the Sarawak Lawn Tennis Association (SLTA) Centre in Kuching on May 13. Priscilla Hon (picture) collected Australia's first point after overcoming China's Ren Jia-Qi 6-3, 7-5 in the first singles, before Sara Tomic ensured the Aussies' win by edging Cao Si-Qi 6-4, 6-2. The Australian doubles of Sara and Kimberly Birrell were trailing 5-6 in the second set against Jia-Qi and Li Yue-Nu, after winning the first 6-3, before the match was eventually abandoned due to heavy rain. India finished third after beating Thailand 3-0 in the playoff match.

India, Thailand join top two for Czech event

AUSTRALIA and China, the top two seeds, as well as India and Thailand qualified for the 2012 World Junior Tennis (WJT) Girls' Championship scheduled for Prostejov, Czech Republic later this year after each won their respective quarter-final matches at the Sarawak Lawn Tennis Association (SLTA) Centre in Kuching on May 11 Both Australia and China scored 2-0 wins over Japan and South Korea respectively, while fourth-seeded India edged Taiwan 2-1. Thailand, the sixth seeds, ousted New Zealand 2-0. Priscilla Hon got Australia's first point, easily beating Chihiro Muramatsu 6-3, 6-3, but Sara Tomic had a scare before prevailing 4-6, 7-6 (7-5), 6-3 against Momoko Kobori. China's Ren Jia-Qi was also made to sweat before winning 3-6, 7-5, 6-1 against Um Seong Young. Cao Si-Qi then sealed her team's spot in the last eight with a 6-2, 6-4 win over Bae Do Hee. India had a tougher tie against Taiwan when Himani Mor lost 6-3, 6-3 to Chang Chung-fang, before Pranjala Yadlapalli put the Indians on level terms with a 7-5, 6-2 win over Chien Pei-ju. Pranjala then partnered Vanshika Sawhney to beat Chun-fang and Pei-ju 6-3, 6-1 to ensure an Indian win. Thailand meanwhile continued their good run with Manita Bootsarakomvisit winning their first point beating Chanista Ampornachariya 6-1, 6-1 and Napharat Sawangkaew overcoming New Zealand's Rosie Cheng.

Australia, China lead seeds into last eight

ALL eight seeded teams in the World Junior Tennis (WJT) Girls Championship Asia/Oceania Final Qualifiers moved into the last eight after each won their tie at the Sarawak Lawn Tennis Association (SLTA) Centre in Kuching on May 9 The top two seeds, Australia and China once again had trouble-free 3-0 triumphs against the Philippines and Sri Lanka respectively. Kimberly Birrell had an easy Group A match against the Philippines' Maia Bernadette Balce, winning 6-0, 6-1, before Priscilla Hon had an easier time, beating Maria Dominique Ong without losing a single game. Kimberly then partnered Sara Tomic to beat the pair of Maia and Erika Mae Manduriao 6-0, 6-1 in the doubles. Second seeds China also had an easy Group B tie against Sri Lanka, with their players also dropping just two games in the tie when Cao Si Qi overcame Nethmit Waduge 6-2, 6-0 in the second singles. The other two matches both ended 6-0, 6-0 when Li Yue-Nu beat Rukhsana Abdeen in the first singles and Li-Ren Jia-Si Qi winning against Waduge-Fathoum Issadeen in the doubles. Malaysia, in the meantime, lost for the second time in Group C, 3-0 against Japan, while India, the fourth seeds, trounced Hong Kong 3-0 and fifth seeds Korea won 3-0 against Singapore in Group D. In other matches yesterday, Thailand beat Kazakhstan 3-0 in another Group C match, Taiwan beat Indonesia 2-0 in Group B and New Zealand, seeded eighth, beat Uzbekistan 2-0 in Group A. By Winston Way

S. Korea, Japan in showdown

TOP seeds South Korea will face second seeds Japan in the final of the Asia-Oceania qualifying round of the world junior tennis boys championship at the Sarawak Lawn Tennis Association (SLTA) Centre in Kuching. The Koreans ousted fourth seeds Australia 3-0 while Japan trounced Taiwan with the same score in the semi-finals yesterday. Chung Yun Seong gained Korea's first point by defeating Australian Brian Tran 6-2, 6-3, while Lee Duck Hee outplayed Oliver Anderson 6-1, 6-4 before the pair of Duck Hee and Oh Chan Yeong thrashed Anderson-Tran 6-0, 6-3. Taiwan will play Australia for third placing today while China will battle Hong Kong for fifth position. Uzbekistan and Thailand will vie for seventh place. China edged Uzbekistan 2-1 whilst Hong Kong overcame Thailand 2-0. The Philippines defeated India 2-0 while Indonesia edged New Zealand 2-1 in the 9th-12th placing playoffs. In the playoffs for 13th-16th positions, Malaysia lost their fifth consecutive match, falling 2-1 to Kazakhstan. Malaysia will play Syria (who lost 2-0 to Iran) today to avoid finishing as wooden spoonists. All matches in the April 30-May 5 tournament were played and going to be played at the Sarawak Lawn Tennis Association (SLTA) Centre here. By Winston Way

Aussie girls show the way

TOP seeds Australia steamrolled Uzbekistan 3-0 in the World Junior Tennis (WJT) Girls Championship Asia/Oceania Final Qualifying Round at the Sarawak Lawn Tennis Association (SLTA) Centre in Kuching on May 8 The Aussies, top finishers in the Asia/Oceania zone in the previous WJT in Prostejov, Czech Republic last year, won their opening point through Kimberly Birrell who beat Valeriya Kolegova 6-2, 6-4, before Sara Tomic outplayed Valeriya Popova 6-2, 6-1. Sara and Priscilla Hon completed Australia's Group A tie triumph when they overcame Valeriya and Milisa Bekirova 6-1, 6-1. In Group B, second seeds China trounced Indonesia 3-0, their first point coming courtesy of Ren Jia-Qi who beat Arrum Damarsari, after which Cao Si-Qi got their second, blanking Rifanty Dwi Kahfiani 6-0, 6-0. Si-Qi then partnered Li Yue-Nu to edge Arrum-Rifanty Dwi 4-6, 6-1, 6-1 in the doubles. Japan, the third seeds, however, were made to sweat by Kazakhstan before gaining their first win in the tournament with a 2-1 victory in a Group C tie, while fourth-seeded India had an easy 3-0 win over Singapore in Group D. Hosts Malaysia fell 2-1 to Thailand in another Group C tie, with the first two matches ending in easy wins for the Thai girls. Manita Bootsaramvisit beat Nurin Nabilah Roslan 6-1, 6-0, while Napharat Sawangkaew routed Yus Syazlin Nabila Yusri 6-0, 6-0. Nurin and Yus Syazlin salvaged some pride for Malaysia when they beat Manita and Wijitbanjong Pakkaro 5-7, 6-3, 6-3. In other results yesterday, South Korea beat Hong Kong 3-0 in Group D, Taiwan slammed Sri Lanka 3-0 in Group B and New Zealand beat the Philippines 3-0 in Group A. In today's matches, Australia play the Philippines, China face Sri Lanka, Japan take on Malaysia, while India will be square off with Hong Kong. Also, Indonesia meet Taiwan, Uzbekistan play New Zealand, Kazakhstan face Thailand and Singapore meet Korea. The top four finishers proceed to play in the WJT finals, also to be played in Prostejov, on Aug 13-18.

South Korea, Japan win

KUCHING: Top two seeded teams South Korea and Japan scored easy opening victories as the final qualifying competition for the ITF World Junior Team Competition for Boys kicked off at Sarawak Lawn Tennis Association Tennis Centre yesterday. Chung Yun Seong led the way for top seeds South Korea as he thrashed New Zealand’s Alexender Calder 6-0, 6-1 in one hour and 40 minutes in the first singles in Group A. His teammate Lee Duck Hee had no problem beating Rawhiti Williams 6-2, 6-0 in the second singles while the pair of Chung Yun Seong and Oh Chan Yeong crashed Williams-Calder 6-1, 6-1 in the doubles for a 3-0 win. In the same group, Thailand sprung an upset as they beat eighth seeds India 2-1 for their first win. Nawakarn Khunjan tamed Alex Solanki 7-5, 6-4 in the first singles to hand the Thais the first point but Nikshep Ballerkere levelled the score 1-1 for India when he beat Art Faoart 6-3, 7-6(5) in the second singles. In the doubles and the deciding match, the Thai combination of Sirawit Daosaengsawangng and Nawakarn overcame Nikshep-Aryan Goveas 6-1, 6-4. South Korea will play Thailand today while New Zealand are up against India. In Group B, second seeds Japan who faced a weaker Iran, made easy meat of their opponents as Tomohiro Masabayashi blanked Arman Jalili Uromiyeh 6-0, 6-0 and Riki Oshima registered a similar score over Ashkan Shekarriz. In the doubles, Renta Tokuda and Tomohiro saw off the pair of Mohamad Kargaran Oroochi and Ashkan Shekarriz 6-0, 6-2 for a 3-0 win. Meanwhile, host Malaysia failed to secure their first win as they went down fighting 1-2 to sixth seeds Philippines in Group D. Alberto Lim Jr was simply too good for Talhah Rahizam, beating the latter 6-1, 6-2 in the first singles while Koay Hao Sheng kept the contention alive by beating Eric Olivarez Jr 6-1, 6-1 in the second singles. In the doubles, Koay and Khairil Anas Abd Rahim put up some opposition to lose the first set 6-4 but Olivarez and Jerome Romualdez closed out the Malaysians in the second set 6-2 to give Philippines three points. The other Group D match saw fourth seeds Australia edging Hong Kong 2-1. Malaysia is facing an even tougher match against the Australians in today’s match. Other teams who won their first matches were China and Taiwan who beat Syria and Kazakhstan 3-0 respectively while Uzbekistan took more than six hours to crack the Indonesian resistance and won 2-1.- www.theborneopost.com

Sarawak defend MSSM Boys U-15 tennis tourney

KUCHING: Defending champions Sarawak emerged victorious in the recent Malaysia Schools Sports Council (MSSM) Boy’s Under-15 tennis championship after defeating Perlis in the final held in Ipoh, Perak. Sarawak’s top junior ace, Alvin Tan gave his team the lead by beating Asrul Ekshan from Perlis 5-7, 6-2, 6-3 while his teammate Kenneth Tan earlier on trounced Wan Ahmad 6-0, 6-0. The state’s double team lost 3-6, 1-6. The state team could have defended the overall title if not due to injuries to the top two U18 players in Jane Chang and Gerald Yao while a few other good players had also opted out due to studies commitment. According to Sarawak Schools Sports Council (MSSS) tennis technical chairman, Oliver Rengga Bantin the state players could have done better with the services of experienced players who are either injured or opted out due to their study commitments. He commended the Girl’s under 15 team members who performed well beyond expectations by entering the semi-finals despite been just promoted from the under 12 category. “I wish to record our appreciation to the players’ parents who have sacrificed so much for their kids…come rain or shine, they were there with us,” he said. In the Girl’s under 18 competition, Sarawak narrowly lost to Selangor and Federal Territory in their group matches. “The team was unfortunate not to have Jane Chang who was down with a shoulder injury and Adriana Chua who was participating in another tournament…if they had been available, we could have been up there at least in the finals,” Oliver said. He revealed that Sarawak’s two under 18 boys players, Gerald Yao and Izzul Aizuddin are also nursing their injuries.- http://www.theborneopost.com