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