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New Straits Times
3 days ago
- Sport
- New Straits Times
Malaysia makes swift return to Davis Cup Group III
KUALA LUMPUR: After suffering a disastrous outing in the Davis Cup last year, the national tennis squad gave fans plenty to smile about today (July 19). Malaysia secured promotion after beating Qatar 2-0 in the Davis Cup Asia-Oceania Group IV promotional playoffs at the National Tennis Centre here. Despite feeling ill yesterday (July 18), key player Koay Hao Sheng, 26, did not disappoint as he downed Mubarak Alharrasi 7-5, 6-2 to give Malaysia a 1-0 lead. Darrshan Kumar, 18, then sealed promotion to Group III next season by beating Mubarak's brother, Mossa, 6-3, 6-1. Malaysia was, for the first time in history, relegated from Group III last year. Hao Sheng admitted that there was pressure on the squad to immediately bounce back this season. Malaysia was also the top seed in the competition. "I was feeling a bit dizzy yesterday but had a good rest last night and felt better today. I am quite satisfied with my performance today, I managed the pressure and the match quite well," said Hao Sheng. "There was definitely pressure on us because this is the first time we have been in Group IV and we wanted to go back to Group III really badly. "As the oldest player in the squad, I felt responsible for the team. The other players, however, did really well and that took some of the burden off my shoulders." And it was double-joy for the Perlis-born as he will be celebrating his birthday next week (July 27). "I couldn't have asked for a better birthday gift, I really appreciate all the effort put in by the whole team," said Hao Sheng. The national squad topped Pool A earlier this week. They won all 11 matches they played, dropping only one set throughout the tournament. National team captain Adam Jaya promised he would rotate his players throughout the tournament and did just that, giving Darrshan, Leroy Yong and Daniel Prickett all a taste of singles action. Adam also switched them around with Naufal Kamaruzzaman in the doubles. "I am proud of my players because there were a lot of expectations on them, the whole nation wanted us to go back to Group III. They played well throughout the week," said Adam. "Hao Sheng has very good mental strength and showed great resilience even when he was not feeling well. "Darrshan, Leroy and Daniel are all of a similar level and rotating them kept our opponents guessing. It also creates good competition for spots in the team." As expected, unseeded favourites the Philippines, who topped Pool B, also secured promotion to Group III after beating Kygyzstan 2-0 in their playoff. Second seeds Pacific Oceana and Nepal were relegated to Group V next year after losing 2-1 to Iraq and 2-0 to Kuwait respectively in the relegation playoffs. The Philippines tennis federation was suspended by the ITF in late 2020 due to governance issues. The suspension was lifted in January last year which is why they are currently making their way back up from the lower divisions in both men's and women's tennis.
New Straits Times
13-07-2025
- Sport
- New Straits Times
Davis Cup captain wary of threat posed by Philippines, Kuwait
KUALA LUMPUR: Despite being the top seeds and having home ground advantage, Davis Cup captain Adam Jaya has stressed that Malaysia cannot afford to take any nation lightly during the Asia-Oceania Group IV competition which starts here on Wednesday (July 16). Malaysia will face second seeds Pacific Oceania, Iraq, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Nepal, Qatar and unseeded favourites, the Philippines, at the National Tennis Centre (NTC). Only the last two teams standing will earn promotion to Group III next year. Malaysia is on a mission for redemption after being relegated from Group III last year. It was a crushing moment as Malaysia had never gone lower than Group III in the past. Adam, who is a former national player himself, is aware that national pride is at stake but made it clear that returning to Group III will not be easy. "At least five or six of the nations competing in Group IV this year have previously competed as high as Group II in recent seasons," said Adam when met yesterday (July 12). "Group IV this year will definitely be very competitive. Worldwide, I believe tennis is getting tougher and tougher. "When I last captained the Davis Cup squad (2018) in Group III, we played Kuwait in the promotional playoff and lost. "Kuwait have had quality players in the past ranked as high as top-20 in the juniors and top-300 or 400 in the ATP rankings. "(Besides Philippines) I believe they could also be a factor here this year." The Philippines tennis federation was suspended by the ITF in late 2020 due to governance issues. The suspension was lifted in January last year which is why they are currently making their way back up from the lower divisions in both men's and women's tennis. Koay Hao Sheng, Leroy Yong, Darrshan Kumar, Daniel Prickett, Naufal Kamaruzzaman and Devesh Sarawanan have been shortlisted for the Davis Cup squad. The final five-man squad will be announced on Tuesday (July 15). Adam is pleased with the quality in the squad. "As I have said before, Hao Sheng will be our key player and he will likely play in both singles and doubles," said Adam. "As for the second singles slot it is still wide open. All of the other players are evenly balanced, which is a positive for us. "As for a partner to play with Hao Sheng in the doubles, Leroy, Darrshan and Daniel are all capable of filling the slot. "The doubles is important, even if we have won the first two singles matches, as it could be taken into account if it (group placing) goes to a countback. Hopefully it does not come to that. "I will look to rotate the players as we will be playing for four to five days and we need to keep our players fresh." The draw for the Group IV competition will be held on Tuesday. The nations will be split into two pools. The top-two teams in each pool will advance to the promotional playoffs.
New Straits Times
02-07-2025
- Sport
- New Straits Times
Hao Sheng prepared for Davis Cup double duty
KUALA LUMPUR: Koay Hao Sheng is looking forward to taking on a new role as Davis Cup playing captain for the men's national tennis squad later this month. Malaysia will be playing in Group IV of the Asia-Oceania competition on July 14-19 with home ground advantage at the National Tennis Centre here. Hao Sheng tasted his first experience as captain of the Billie Jean King Cup (BJKC) women's squad last month and led the team to a respectable top-four finish in the Asia-Oceania Group II competition which was also held in Kuala Lumpur. "I am looking forward to being the playing captain for the Davis Cup," said Hao Sheng when met recently. "I have played in the Davis Cup many times before but this time it will be more challenging as I will also be coaching. "I will have to manage my recovery between matches more carefully as I will be on court (coaching courtside) throughout the day. "I enjoyed my experience as BJKC captain and I learnt a lot. The players, association and head coach (Muliyadi Jamal) have been very supportive of me. "Having said that, there is still a lot more I can learn in terms of understanding the players and how to communicate effectively with them." Hao Sheng is set to turn 27 later this month but has already been a staple of the national squad for almost a decade now. The Davis Cup squad will be on a mission to secure promotion after being relegated from Group III last year. The other nations in Group IV, which is the second lowest tier of the competition, are Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Qatar, Iraq, Nepal, Philippines, Malaysia as well as Pacific Oceania who were relegated alongside Malaysia from Group III last season.
New Straits Times
18-06-2025
- Sport
- New Straits Times
BJKC top seeds Mongolia hand Malaysia 3-0 defeat
KUALA LUMPUR: As expected, the national women's tennis squad found the going tough against top seeds Mongolia at the National Tennis Centre today (June 18). Malaysia lost 3-0 to Mongolia in the Billie Jean King Cup (BJKC) Asia-Oceania Group II competition (group A) clash. Lim Zan Ning took to court first against Martaa Chogsomjav and did well to take a set off the latter before succumbing to a 7-6 (4), 4-6, 6-0 defeat. Elsa Wan Abdul Rahman, who was ill and suffered dehydration during Malaysia's 2-1 win against Kyrgyzstan on Monday, was cleared to play today and faced Martaa's elder sister Maralgoo. The latter won 6-2, 7-5 to secure an unassailable 2-0 lead for Mongolia. Martaa-Maralgoo then teamed up to beat Hannah Yip-Joleen Saw 7-5, 7-5 to complete their 3-0 win. National team captain Koay Hao Sheng was neverthless pleased with his players efforts. "We expected a tough fight against the top seeds and the goal was to try and sneak a win in one of the two singles matches," said Hao Sheng. "Zan Ning came close to doing it in the first two sets of her singles match. Unfortunately, her opponent opted to take a 10-minute heat break and came back strong in the third set. "Elsa was not quite 100 per cent today but she gave a good fight in the second set. Hopefully she will improve in her next matches." Malaysia will next play Northern Mariana Islands tomorrow (June 19) and cannot afford to lose if they are hoping to make the top two cut in group A to qualify for the semi-finals. Northern Mariana Islands have yet to win a match in the tournament so far having lost 3-0 against Singapore, Mongolia and Kyrgyzstan. "We should be okay against them, however, we can never be complacent. I expect all our players to give it their best tomorrow," said Hao Sheng. In other ties played today, Singapore downed Northern Mariana Islands 3-0 (group A) while in Group B top seeds Indonesia downed Uzbekistan 2-1. Philippines defeated Iran 3-0. Order of play for tomorrow (June 19) Matches start from 10am
New Straits Times
17-06-2025
- Sport
- New Straits Times
Dehydrated Elsa still doubtful for BJKC clash
KUALA LUMPUR: It is still unknown whether national tennis player Elsa Wan Abdul Rahman can recover in time to play in Malaysia's next Billie Jean King Cup (BJKC) Asia-Oceania Group II tie against Mongolia tomorrow (June 18). Elsa suffered from dehydration after her heroic efforts in Malaysia's 2-1 win over Kyrgyzstan in Group A at the National Tennis Centre yesterday (June 16). The 21-year-old was ill and vomited a number of times throughout yesterday but still took to court for the singles and doubles (with Lim Zan Ning) and won both her matches. Malaysia has been given a rest day for today and will face Mongolia, the top seeds, tomorrow. The latter have not lost a match in the tournament so far. National team captain Koay Hao Sheng said Elsa has yet to fully recover. "We took her to the clinic yesterday and was told that she was dehydrated as she had vomited a number of times," said Hao Sheng today. "She has been resting since yesterday and I believe is about 70 per cent recovered. "I am not sure if she can play tomorrow, we will assess her condition during our training session this evening. "On a positive note, Hannah Yip has shown some improvement during our training session this morning. "At the moment we do not know which players we will be playing tomorrow. Whoever is playing will have to give it their best." Doubles specialist Hannah has been battling a hip injury. Hao Sheng can make changes to his start list up to 30 minutes before the match starts. In group A today (June 17), Mongolia routed Singapore 3-0 while Kyrgyzstan downed Northern Mariana Islands by the same scoreline. In group B, second seeds Indonesia edged Pacific Oceania 2-1 while Philippines defeated Uzbekistan 2-1. Order of play for tomorrow (June 17) Matches start at 10am
