GOLDEN OPPORTUNITY FOR LOCAL TENNIS STARS TO GRAB ATP POINTS

Si Yew Ming, Ariez Elyaas and Ahmed Deedat receive official wild card entries to play in this year’s ATP 250 World Tour Malaysian Open, Kuala Lumpur 2011. One of the great benefits about having a prestigious world-class ATP World Tour tennis tournament on our shores is that it gives our local tennis boys a chance to pit their skills against some of the world’s best.

Every year, the Malaysian Open, Kuala Lumpur as part of its junior development initiatives, which also include a pro tennis clinic for our aspiring youngsters, offers valuable wild card entries to Malaysian players, and this year will be no exception, with two singles qualifying slots and one doubles main draw spot being handed out.

Ariez Elyas Deen Heesham

Youngsters Ariez Elyaas Deen Heshaam and Ahmed Deedat Abdul Razak will lead the country’s charge in the singles qualifying tournament on September 24 and 25. This means the boys will need to record at least two wins (subject to draw size) against the pros if they are to make it to the singles main draw of 28 players. First round main draw losers who enter the main draw via a wild card are not eligible for ranking points, whilst players who reach the main draw via the qualifying tournament or based on their personal ATP ranking, receive ATP points for a first round main-draw loss.

Meanwhile, Malaysian number one Si Yew Ming will be partnered with an exciting fast rising ATP World Tour star, who has entered the singles draw, with the duo entered as a wild card into the main-draw of the doubles event. Tournament Director Nick Freyer of organisers IMG said, “Our long term dream is to someday have a local player qualify for the main draw based on ranking and eventually produce a home grown ATP Champion here. Creating opportunities such as these, together with our junior pro clinic and other programmes is our way of supporting the comprehensive development programme being managed by our partners and friends at the Lawn Tennis Association of Malaysia.”


This will not be the first time that Ariez has featured in the Malaysian Open, Kuala Lumpur, having lost out in the first round of the qualifiers to Frenchman Laurent Recourderc last year.

Seventeen-year-old Ariez however managed to obtain his ATP doubles points from the Khon Kaen ITF futures in April 2011. His ATP doubles ranking is 1453. He also played Davis Cup Men Asian Oceania Group 3 qualifying in Colombo and helped Malaysian team secure the top 4 position by winning the tie against Oman.

Ahmad Deedat Abdul Razak

For Ahmed Deedat, his inclusion in the tournament may have come as a welcome surprise to him, but his stellar performances for Malaysia in both the Junior and Men’s Davis Cup has thrust the teenager firmly into the limelight as a rising star of Malaysian tennis.

Sixteen-year-old Ahmed, who was once ranked as high as No.3 on the Asian Tennis Federation (ATF) Under-14 circuit, recently partnered Si Yew Ming in the doubles during the Davis Cup tie in Sri Lanka in June.

The duo helped their country secure crucial victories against the United Arab Emirates and Oman, which helped Malaysia their standing in the Asia/Oceania Group III, even coming close to promotion into Group II.
“I’m speechless, and a little bit nervous. But this is a golden opportunity for me and I will definitely give my best,” said Kuala Lumpur-born Ahmed, who has just returned from the ITF/LTAT Junior Championships 2011 in Nonthaburi, Thailand, where he made it to the second round.

Ahmed is currently ranked 1002 on the ITF Junior Tour, but has previously held a ranking high of 492.
As the number one ranked Malaysian tennis player, Si Yew Ming has featured in the Malaysian Open, Kuala Lumpur since 2009. Last year, he received a wild card entry into the singles main draw after Lleyton Hewitt pulled out of the tournament with a serious wrist injury that required surgery.


Our Malaysian number one gave the partisan crowd something to cheer about when he took a surprise 2-0 lead against Indian star Yuki Bhambri in the first two games, but eventually lost out to the former Asian Junior champion in straight sets.

Si Yew Ming

The 32-year-old Yew Ming has however enjoyed strong form in the Davis Cup in June, notching four wins against his two losses (both singles and doubles), and will look to build on that during the Malaysian Open, Kuala Lumpur.

This year, Yew Ming will be partnered in the doubles with a singles main-draw player that will be confirmed later in the week by organisers IMG, but what is for sure is that Malaysians will once again be privy to watching our very own ‘anak Malaysia’ play with one of the world’s best in the main draw of an ATP World Tour 250 tournament - one of the highlights of the local sporting calendar.

For more information and updates on the Malaysian Open, Kuala Lumpur 2011, please log on to www.MalaysianOpenTennis.com