Karosi battles stomach upset to win title

AUSTIN KAROSI won the men’s singles title in the BMW Malaysian National Circuit Leg 1 after defeating second seed Si Yew Ming 6-1, 5-7, 6-4 in today’s final.

The Singaporean, who made his debut this year at the BMW Malaysian National Circuit, also bagged prize money of RM4,000.

But things didn’t come easy for the world No. 920 as he was battling a stomach upset and a resilient Yew Ming.

The 22-year-old hard hitter dominated the first set before finishing it off at 6-1.

The momentum shifted to Yew Ming in the second set when Karosi held the lead at 4-2, as the Singaporean found it hard to focus on the match with the stomach upset.

Yew Ming took full advantage of the situation to come back and seal the second set at 7-5.

“It might be because of something I had in the morning; I could feel it acting up and I didn’t know what to do.

“I was hitting well throughout the match until then and Yew Ming took full advantage,” Karosi said.

“He was hardly making any mistakes from the start and he got the better of me in the second set,” said Karosi who called for a toilet break before going into the third set.

His condition was so bad that he vomited in the final set but that helped settle his stomach.

“It was troubling me and I had to get it out and things eventually got better from there on,” added Karosi.

The Singaporean took some time to get himself into the match before sealing the final with a 6-4 victory.

“It has been a long and tiring week for me and I am glad it ended this way. The plus point is that I served really well today, something which I lacked the past few months when I was playing in the Futures tournaments,” said Karosi.

The women’s single finals saw Theviya Selvarajoo defeating Yus Syazlin Nabila Yusri 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 to take home the prize money of RM1,200.

Results
(All Finals) 
Men’s Singles Tier 1: Austin Karosi bt Si Yew Ming 6-1, 5-7, 6-4
Tier 2: Jonathan Nathar bt Bryan Lim 7-6 (7-2), 6-2
Doubles Final: Mohd Ashaari Zainal-Syed Mohd Agil Syed Naguib bt Khoo Er Yang-Mohd Faeez Said 6-1, 7-6 (7-5), 10-6
Womens Singles: Theviya Selvarajoo bt Yus Syazlin Nabila Yusri 6-3, 3-6, 6-4
Doubles: Aslina Chua-Thviya Selvarajoo bt Alyssa Boey-Nurin Nabilah Roslan 6-2, 6-4

Theiviya overcomes pain to enter final

S. THEIVIYA had blisters on her fingers but it did not stop the teenager from reaching the women's singles final of the BMW Malaysian Circuit first leg at the National Tennis Centre in Kuala Lumpur yesterday.

The top seed overcame a sluggish first set to edge Aslina Chua 3-6, 6-4, 6-1 in two hours.

It was a painful experience for Theiviya but the 19-year-old rallied on to set up a final against second seed Yussyazlin Nabila Yusri, who defeated former national champion Alyssa Boey 6-1, 6-4 in the other semi-final, today.

"The blisters had little effect on me as I was too focused on the match. The match could have gone either way but an early break point in the third helped me regroup and win."

On the final, Theiviya said Yussyazlin will be a tough opponent as she is playing well.

"I have beaten her before but she has improved so much. It is good for local tennis that many players are now making progress in their game."

Theiviya and Asline will pair up against Alyssa-Nurin Nabila in the doubles final.

In men's singles, American-born top seed Austin Karosi eased past Asean University gold medallist Syed Aqil Syed Naguib 6-2, 6-0 in a one-sided semi-final match.

Syed Agil could not last the tempo as he was nursing a shoulder injury.

Second seed Si Yew Ming was given a huge fight by former international Abd Hazli Zainuddin before prevailing 6-4, 7-5 for a spot in the final.

Yew Ming, 34, is hoping to regain his status as the national No 1 following his defeat to Ariez Elyaas Deen Heshaam in last month's Masters final.

"Karosi is playing well here but I believe I have a good chance of winning it tomorrow (today)," said Yew Ming.

Karosi to meet Yew Ming in final

SINGAPORE’S Austin Karosi (picture) made light work of third seed Syed Mohd Agil Syed Naguib as he booked his place in the final of the BMW Malaysian National Circuit Leg 1 with a resounding 6-2 6-0 victory over the Malaysian.

The American, who currently resides in Singapore, will face off against second seed Si Yew Ming in tomorrow’s final.

“I performed much better today. My movement and shots around the court yesterday were rather tight and there was a lot of difference today.

“I was more relaxed and it certainly helped. My serves were near perfect and so was my forehand but Syed Agil gave me a stern challenge and was unlucky on a few occasions,” said Karosi who is ranked 920 in the world.

Syed Agil, who is nursing a shoulder injury, was off to a perfect start but as Austin pushed him on the rallies, the 19-year-old ended up losing his momentum.

“Everything was okay at the start but after a while, my shoulder began to ache and I was finding it hard to serve and hit my forehands,” said Syed Agil.

National No.1 Si Yew Ming, meanwhile, was given a stern challenge by Abdul Hazli Zainuddin but the 34-year-old held his nerves to overcome his opponent 6-4, 7-5.

“It was tough but I managed to pull it off. He was returning almost every shot and that made things difficult but eventually I found my rhythm to get the better of him,” said Yew Ming.

Karosi, on his debut here, has never played against Yew Ming but has seen the veteran on court a few times.

“He has tons of experience and I hope to be at my best tomorrow. Things have got tougher since the quarterfinals and I certainly can’t take things lightly,” said Karosi.

Semifinals (Malaysia unless stated)
Men’s singles: Austin Karosi (Singapore) bt Syed Mohd Agil Syed Naguib 6-2, 6-0; Si Yew Ming bt Abdul Hazli Zainuddin 6-4, 7-5.

Women’s singles: Theviya Selvarajoo bt Aslina Chua 3-6, 6-4, 6-1; Yus SyazlinNabila Yusri bt Alyssa Boey 6-1, 6-4.

Women’s doubles: Aslina Chua-Thviya Selvarajoo bt Michelle Khoo Li Sha-Yus Syazlin Nabila Yusri 6-2, 6-1; Alyssa boey-Nurin Nabilah bt Siti Aisyah Idris-Rose Shamiza Badrul Hisham 6-3, 6-1. - www.sports247.my

Syed Aqil into semis

SYED Aqil Syed Naguib secured his place in the men’s singles semi-finals of the BMW Malaysian Circuit first leg with a 6-2, 6-1 thrashing of Marco Setipu at the National Tennis Centre in Kuala Lumpur on Monday.
Syed Aqil, a gold medallist at last month’s Asean University Games, plays American-born top seed Austin Karosi, who beat Ashaari Zainal Abdin 5-7, 6-1, 6-2 in the quarter-finals, for a spot in the final today.
Second seed Si Yew Ming was taken the distance in the first set before prevailing 6-4, 6-2 over Khoo Er Yang to set up a semi-final encounter against Abd Hazli Zainuddin, who upset national player Ahmad Deedat Razak 7-6 (7-2), 7-6 (7-1).
In the women’s section, top seed S. Theiviya earned a ‘dream’ semi-final match against national champion Aslina Chua, following a 6-1, 7-5 win over Nurin Nabila Roslan yesterday,
Aslina  defeated Thailand’s Konmawan Thongsaner 6-1, 6-2. The other semi-final pits second seed Yussyazlin Nabila Yusri against former national champions Alyssa Boey.- www.nst.com.my

Theiviya scores double 'bagel' wins

S. THEIVIYA recorded back-to-back double ‘bagel’ wins to reach the women’s singles quarter-finals of  the BMW Malaysian Circuit first leg at the National Tennis Centre in Kuala Lumpur yesterday.
   Theiviya, the daughter of former national champion S. Selvarajoo, was in near perfect form as the 19-year-old hammered Aida Hereena Hairy Anuar and Rose Shamiza Badrul Hisham with identical 6-0, 6-0 scores.
   Selvarajoo said Theiviya is determined to make a huge impact on the tournament.
   “She missed out of being the national champion last month due to illness. It has made her more eager to win this title,” said Selvarajoo yesterday.
   The top seed, who turned professional last month, is expected to face national champion Aslina Chua in the semi-finals.
   “Theiviya should reach the last four for the likely match against Aslina. She is looking forward to this encounter,” Selvarajoo added.
   Second seed Yussyazlin Nabila Yusri, Alyssa Boey and Thailand’s Konmawan Thongsaner also won their respective first-round matches yesterday.
   In the men’s section, top seed and World No 969 Austin Karosi won his opening three matches to qualify for the fourth round.
   The 23-year-old American-born, representing Singapore, started his campaign with a 6-1, 6-1 thrashing of Amirul Aiman Abd Halim, followed by impressive wins over Lee Vun Tsir (6-1, 6-3) and Ahmad Faizal Mansor (6-1, 6-0).
   Karosi was due to play Jordan Quek in their fourth round match late yesterday.
   Second seed and former national champion Si Yew Ming safely negotiated past Bryan Lim (6-1, 6-1), Danial Anuar Hayes (6-1, 6-0) and national Under-14 champion Koay Hao Sheng 6-4, 6-3 to make the fourth round. The 35-year-old was due to play M. Damien Rocky in a late match yesterday.
   Asean University Games champion Syed Aqil Syed Naguib, Abdul Hazli Zainuddin, Ashaari Zainal Abidin, Khoo Er Yang and Ahmad D

RSGC is ready for Malaysian Open

WITH more than RM1 million being spent on venue  preparations, both  players and fans can expect a top-class  tournament at the upcoming BMW Malaysian Open  which  will this year be held for a first time at  the Royal Selangor Golf  Club (RSGC) on Feb 25-March 3.
  RSGC president Admiral (Rtd) Tan Sri Mohd Anwar Mohd  Nor said the club  is confident it will live up to expectations  after the Bukit Kiara Equestrian & Country Resort suc cessfully hosted three editions of the tournament.
“ Besides golf, we  also have a strong history of tennis at the  club and are the only club in the country to offer grass courts  since the club was established in 1893,” said Mohd Anwar,  who is also the president of the Malaysian Golf Association.
 “We are celebrating our 120th anniversary this year and  are happy to be hosting a world class event such as the  Malaysian Open. We are definitely eager to put on a good  show.
“A lot of upgrade works have been done to meet and  hopefully exceed WTA specifications.
 “At the moment we are putting on the final touches and  expect all to be completed by early next month.
“Five courts are being resurfaced and have also had their  lighting upgraded.
“We have also upgraded numerous facilities which in cludes the players lounge, physiotherapy rooms as well as  public areas which will be very spacious. 
“I can also assure fans they will have a good time here as we  have gone to great lengths to ensure they will be comfortable  from the moment they park their car.
Mohd Anwar urged fans to come and experience for  themselves top-class tennis at the club and hoped the  organisers of the tournament will be able to rope in more big  names for the event.
“This is a great chance for Malaysian fans to catch world- class players in action.
“With the proximity of the club to the heart of the city I hope  they will take this opportunity.
“(Caroline) Wozniacki will be a big draw and I understand  the organisers are also in talks with a number of big  names.
“If we can get a few more (stars) it will be the icing on the  cake to what we are sure will be a great tournament.- www.nst.com.my

KL gives her boost

ON THE RISE: Hsieh Su Wei, the highest ranked Taiwan player on the WTA Tour at World No 26 and reached the second round of the ongoing Australian Open. Su Wei, who will compete in the BMW Malaysian Open on Feb 25-March 3, speaks to Timesport’s Ajitpal Singh and Fadhli Ishak.
Question: You achieved your career high ranking of World No 25 last October. Can you  break into the top-10 soon?
Answer:  Well, I don't put pressure on myself about achieving targets. I put this pressure on my coach (Paul McNamee) to ensure I make progress. Of course everyone wants to break into the top-10 and hopefully, I can achieve it.

Question: You made a breakthrough in singles last season by winning your first title in Kuala Lumpur as a qualifier and then in Guangzhou. Do you feel you can do better this year?
Answer:  It was quite tough for me last season as I was not really focused on singles... I did not try very hard. The win in Kuala Lumpur was a great achievement as I had to qualify for the main draw as my ranking was low at 123. It gave me the confidence to win a second title in China. I am working on my singles game this season.

Question: China's Li Na and yourself are role models for Asian women tennis. How far can Asia go in the sport?
Answer: We have many players with potential in Asia. I believe Asia stands a better chance in the women's game as we share similar body types and strengths with players from other continents. We can sustain the pace and play a powerful game like them. I believe Asian tennis will achieve greatness soon.

Question: You achieved World No 25 ranking last October. How do you feel about it?
Answer: It was exciting and also the proudest moment for my family and friends. However, I need to work harder and win tournaments to move up the rankings.

Question: What are your expectations in Kuala Lumpur? Caroline Wozniacki, at World No 10, is the top seed here. Will you also play doubles?
Answer:   I will focus on singles. I love Kuala Lumpur and want to do many things here off the court. I am, of course, focused on defending my title successfully. This is my first ever experience, playing in a tour tournament as defending champion in singles. It will be something new for me.

Question: What are your targets for this season?
Answer: My focus last season was only in doubles as I wanted to win a grand slam. I did not really train for singles but my coach pushed me to play the event in tournaments. Things happened so quickly then. I hope to win titles in singles and doubles this year.

Question:  What are your hobbies?
Answer: I play a lot of sports, especially football, in my free time but I don't like watching it. I also listen to music, snap pictures of flowers, write on something interesting and read on fashion.

Question: You were introduced to tennis at five by your father, Hsieh Tze Lung. Did your father play tennis actively?
Answer: My dad was not a tennis player. He held a racquet for the first time a couple of days before I did. He then tried coaching me, using training manuals of professional players. Despite his limited experience, I achieved a lot as a youngster. If not for my Dad, I wouldn't be a good tennis player.

Question: You lost 6-2, 6-1 to Russia's Svetlana Kuznetsova in the second round of the Australian Open and you also bowed out in the doubles third round. Did you play well?
Answer: I like playing in grand slams but I did not get the results in Melbourne. Anyway, I am happy with my performance.