NST Online: Sports

Football / Olympics Qualifiers: Khairul prepares for busy night

Posted: 19 Sep 2011 05:10 PM PDT

2011/09/20
Devinder Singh
devinder@nst.com.my

Khairul Fahmi has to be at his best against Japan.

KHAIRUL Fahmi Che Mat expects to be a busy man tomorrow when Malaysia open their Olympic qualifying campaign with a third round Group A match against Japan at the Tosu Stadium.

Having emerged unscathed in the previous two rounds against Pakistan and Lebanon, the national Under-22 team face their biggest test of the qualifiers so far.

And they come no bigger than Asian Games gold medalists Japan, who came through 4-3 on aggregate against Kuwait in the second round despite losing the away second leg 2-1.

Some of the Japanese players in the squad will not be unfamiliar to Khairul Fahmi, who faced nine of them at the 2010 Guangzhou Asian Games.

Nagoya Grampus striker Kensuke Nagai and Cerezo Osaka midfielder Hotaru Yamaguchi scored against the Kelantan shot-stopper in Japan's 2-0 preliminary victory in Guangzhou and will return to terrorise the Malaysian defenders.

"It will be a big match for us but we have prepared well and are ready to face Japan. We know they are a big team in Asia but we are only thinking about giving it our best and nothing else," said Khairul Fahmi, after playing in a 1-0 friendly defeat against Oman in Shah Alam on Thursday.

The team arrived in Fukuoka on Friday and settled in to do a few drills, especially the strikers who found goals hard to come by in the preliminary rounds.

All four of Malaysia's goals so far have been scored by midfielders Wan Zack Haikal Wan Nor, Wan Zaharulnizam Wan Zakaria and Irfan Fazail (two), who has often been deployed as a second striker as the forwards struggle to find their range.

But Irfan is carrying a niggling knee injury which has coach Ong Kim Swee concerned.

"Irfan is the only player who is carrying an injury and we are worried he may not shake it off in time. We are monitoring his situation and hope he recovers soon," said Kim Swee.

Irfan would likely play in midfield along side K. Gurusamy against Japan but Abdul Shukor Jusoh is on standby to fill in as regular Gary Steven Robbat is suspended along with striker Ahmad Fakri Saarani.

Izzaq Faris Ramlan and Syahrul Azwari Ibrahim are favoured to start upfront although Kim Swee could spring a surprise by fielding the nippy Ahmad Hazwan Bakri or the agile A. Thamil Arasu.

The 20-year-old Hazwan has impressed this season by scoring seven goals for Kuala Lumpur in the Super League and is eager to make his Malaysia debut, having never played at any age-group level for the country.

"If I'm fielded, it would be the first time I'd be playing for Malaysia. I'm fortunate to have been called up and if given the chance, I hope to show Malaysians what I can do," said the Labuan-born Hazwan, who has a wicked left-footed swerving shot which has bamboozled several goalkeepers in the league.

Tennis: Young favourite for final wild card

Posted: 19 Sep 2011 05:08 PM PDT

2011/09/20
Ajitpal Singh and Fadli Ishak
nstsport@nstp.com.my

(From left) Malaysia's Ahmad Deedat Abd Razak, Ariez Elyaas Deen Heshaam, Si Yew Ming and tournament director Nick Freyer at the press conference at Bukit Jalil yesterday. — Picture by Osman Adnan Osman

DONALD Young of the United States could be one of two players offered the final wild card in the ATP Malaysian Open, which starts on Saturday at Putra Stadium in Bukit Jalil.

Tournament director Nick Freyer said he will make an official announcement tomorrow.

"It will be a toss between Young and an upcoming Japanese player," said Freyer at the tournament's press conference yesterday.

"We tried to get World No 10 Tsonga (Jo-Wilfried) here but the Frenchman has opted for Metz."

Cypriot Marcos Baghdatis and Belgian's David Goffin are the tournament's other wild card entries.

The tournament, which is one of only five World Tour stops in Asia, carries a total prize money of US$947,750 (RM2.9 million) and features a 28-player singles main draw and 16 doubles.

Russia's defending champion Mikhail Youzhny and former winner Nikolay Davydenko, together with Czech Republic's World No 9 Tomas Berdych, Spain's Nicolas Almagro and Serbia's Janko Tipsarevic are the top draws in the event.

Freyer picked Berdych, the top seed, as the tournament favourite.

"He has not won a title despite making 12 quarter-final appearances this year. I believe his wait will end in his third appearance in Kuala Lumpur.

"Almargo withdrew last year because of an injury. The Spaniard is also in good form."

Others in the tournament are newly crowned US Open doubles champions Jurgen Melzer and Philipp Petzschner, Japan's Kei Nishikori, India's Asian Games champion Somdev Devvarman, Australia's Bernard Tomic and Canada's Milos Raonic.

Malaysia's Si Yew Ming will play in the doubles main draw with Ryan Harrison of the US.

It will be Yew Ming's third main draw appearance since the tournament's inception in 2009.

Yew Ming partnered Sweden's Joachim Johansson in the inaugural tournament but lost in their first match and the following year, he was beaten by India's Yuki Bhambri in the singles first round.

The 32-year-old again earned a wild card this year after proving himself in the National Tour, where he dominated all four legs.

"I want to be the first local to win a match in this tournament. The closest I came was winning a set in 2009," said Yew Ming.

The former Sea Games medallist will also play singles qualifying along with Ariez Elyaas Deen Heshaam and debutant Ahmad Deedat Abd Razak.

"This will be my first ATP tournament and it will be a exciting new experience for me. I am not setting a high target as this event will be my first major," said Ahmad Deedat.

Tickets are available at www.MalaysianOpenTennis.com or www.Ticketpro.com.my.

Kredit: www.nst.com.my

Isnin, 19 September 2011

NST Online: Sports

NST Online: Sports

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