Elsa and Co hope to go one step better at Billie Jean King Cup
Aiming higher: (From right) Mulyadi Jamal, Sharifah Elsa Wan Abdul Rahman during the Billie Jean King Cup Asia-Oceania Group II tournament press conference at the National Tennis Centre yesterday.
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New Straits Times
an hour ago
- New Straits Times
Elsa powers Malaysia to BJKC win despite illness
KUALA LUMPUR: Not everything went to plan but the national women's tennis team still got away with a 2-1 win over Kyrgyzstan in their opening Billie Jean King Cup (BJKC) Asia-Oceania Group II competition tie today (June 16). Key player Elsa Wan Abdul Rahman was ill and vomited a number of times throughout the day at the National Tennis Centre but still took to court. She battled through the pain to put Malaysia 1-0 up after beating Safina Khabibrakhmanova 6-3, 6-2 in the opening singles. Joleen Saw then faced Kyrgyzstan's playing captain Vladislava Andreevskaya but struggled to find her range and went down 6-2, 6-4. With the score level at 1-1, it went down to the doubles and Elsa again took to court, this time with Lim Zan Ning against Vladislava-Safina. Elsa appeared exhausted throughout the match but she and Zan Ning held their nerve well on the big points. Both pairs exchanged breaks late in the second set before Elsa-Zan Ning claimed the decisive break in the ninth game to secure the match and the tie. Malaysia captain Koay Hao Sheng was relieved to see his side take the win after what was a challenging day. "I don't think it was our best performance so I am pleased that we were able to come away with the win," said Hao Sheng. "I think our players were a bit nervous with it being our opening match here. It is great to have support from your home crowd but there are also expectations. "Elsa was also ill from the opening ceremony in the morning and vomited during and after her matches. "We will be taking her to the doctor now for treatment and evaluation. The doctor will decide if she can play tomorrow (June 17). "If she can't play, we might field Zan Ning or Iman Syuhada Abdullah in the singles." Hao Sheng disclosed that Hannah Yip is also battling a hip injury though could feature in doubles matches later in the tournament. Malaysia is seeded fourth. Luck was, however, on their side as Malaysia has been given a rest day and will not see action tomorrow. The other group A tie between top seeds Mongolia and Northern Mariana Islands today saw the former churning out a straightforward 3-0 win. In Group B, Pacific Oceania downed Iran 2-1 while second seeds Indonesia downed the Philippines 3-0.
The Star
13 hours ago
- The Star
Malaysia have top seeds Mongolia as company in Billie Jean King Cup
PETALING JAYA: Malaysia have been drawn in the same group with top seeds Mongolia in the Billie Jean King Cup Asia-Oceania Group II campaign starting today at the National Tennis Centre. Malaysia and Mongolia are in Group A with Singapore, Kyrgyzstan, and the Northern Mariana Islands. Billed as RM9.73 for the 1st month then RM13.90 thereafters. RM12.33/month RM8.63/month Billed as RM103.60 for the 1st year then RM148 thereafters. Free Trial For new subscribers only
New Straits Times
a day ago
- New Straits Times
Reaching Billie Jean King Cup final 'not impossible' says coach
KUALA LUMPUR: Muliyadi Jamal is hoping his charges can pull off a surprise run to the final at the Billie Jean King Cup (BJKC) Asia-Oceania Group II competition which starts at the National Tennis Centre here tomorrow (June 16). The national team head coach has named Joleen Saw, Elsa Wan Abdul Rahman, Hannah Yip, Iman Syuhada Abdullah and Lim Zan Ning in the BJKC squad, captained by Koay Hao Sheng. Malaysia, seeded fourth in the competition, has received a relatively favourable draw having been placed together with top-seeds Mongolia, Singapore, Kyrgyzstan and Northern Mariana Island in Group A. Group B features second seeds Indonesia, Pacific Oceania, Uzbekistan, Iran and the Philippines. The top-two teams (finalists) will earn promotion to Group I next year. Muliyadi is expecting his players to at least equal their top-three finish from last year - Malaysia's best ever performance in the history of the competition - but is quietly confident of exceeding that. "Our first mission is to reach the semi-finals which is an achievable goal," said Muliyadi when met at the pre-tournament presser here today (June 15). "But of course, we are hoping to go further than that. Playing on home ground, it is possible we can spring a few surprises. "We beat Uzbekistan here last year and nobody expected that so it is not impossible we could reach the final. "In our group (A), Mongolia will obviously be the toughest team but besides that I believe it is a pretty open competition. "Group B is actually much tougher, Pacific Oceania have just come down from Group I while Uzbekistan and Indonesia have always been strong. "I, however, believe the Philippines will be dangerous, even though they have not brought Alex Eala with them." Muliyadi is expecting to field Joleen and Elsa in the first and second singles slots. "Elsa will likely play in the doubles as well with Hannah but that will depend on the condition of the players on the day," added Muliyadi. "We can make changes to the line-up on the day itself." Malaysia will open its campaign against Kyrgyzstan tomorrow. Malaysia defeated Kyrgyzstan 2-1 in the group stage last year. Kyrgyzstan playing captain Vladislava Andreevskaya is expecting a challenging encounter. "Our (usual) captain is not with us so I will be the playing captain which is a huge responsibility for me. Hopefully things will go our way this year," said Vladislava. "We will be playing the home country Malaysia tomorrow which will be difficult. We played you guys here last year and it was tough." Order of play (all ties start 10am)
