KUALA LUMPUR – The Lawn Tennis Association of Malaysia (LTAM) has embarked on its preparations by assembling and training its finest women’s team for the 2025 SEA Games in Thailand, aiming to surpass their performance in the previous edition.
The previous edition in Phnom Penh saw the women’s team, which included Saw Jo Leen, Shihomi Leong, and Lim Sze Xuan, fall short of a podium finish after being eliminated in the quarter-finals.
LTAM president Mirzan Mahathir said that the upcoming International Tennis Federation Women’s World Tennis Tour would serve as an ideal platform for national players to gear up for the SEA Games.
The tournament’s third edition will feature 80 top young tennis players from 11 countries, including Malaysia, Japan, Hong Kong, China, Germany, Chinese Taipei, South Korea, Slovakia, Romania, France, and Australia.
The tournament is scheduled to take place from March 4 to 10 at the National Tennis Centre in Kuala Lumpur.
“We were unable to reach our podium target in 2023, but we are determined to do so in the next SEA Games. Hence, now is the time for our national team players to step up and give their best in this tournament.
“Players will rarely have the opportunity to learn from some of the world’s best at tournaments like this.
“However, the national coaching team is not only focused on this tournament; they have also been hard at work scouting for new talents to develop over the next year.
“We currently have around 40 new talents in the country, and they all have the potential to represent Malaysia in the Games.
“Training has begun, and the coaches are filtering the players and selecting the best ones to develop so that we can have a podium finish in Bangkok,” said Mirzan.
Elsa Wan Rahman, Jo Leen, and Nao Phang are among the top local players competing in the tournament for the champion’s title and the US$15,000 (RM71,180) grand prize.
For the record, the Malaysian women’s national team secured a commendable sixth place in the Billie Jean King Cup last July, triumphing over Hong Kong in the classification match.
Malaysia is ranked fifth in the all-time SEA Games tennis medal table, with a remarkable tally of 21 medals, including three silvers and 18 bronzes.
The men’s doubles pair of Zainuddin Meah and Mohd Akbar Baba holds historical significance as the first Malaysians to clinch a medal in the SEA Games, achieving this milestone at the 1973 edition in Singapore.
Malaysia also holds the record for winning two bronze medals at the Asian Games. — March 4, 2024