Mohd Assri Merzuki (left) with Lawn Tennis Association of Malaysia president Mirzan Tun Mahathir and women’s singles champion Oxi Gravitasi Putri of Indonesia after the prize presentation ceremony. — Bernama photo
KUCHING: National men’s singles number two player Mohd Assri Merzuki has received a timely dose of confidence for his preparations for the Kuala Lumpur SEA Games this August.
The 23-year-old player from Kuching lived up to his top billing by winning the Genting Tennis Malaysia National Circuit at the Malacca International Trade Centre Tennis Complex on Wednesday.
Assri defeated Christian Oliver Lee from Kuala Lumpur 6-3, 6-2 in the two-hour men’s singles final of the second leg of the circuit.
This made up for his disappointment for losing the final in the first leg of the national circuit in Kelana Jaya earlier this year.
Assri, who received a first-round bye, blanked Malacca’s Zhareef Zaidan 6-0, 6-0 in the second round.
He went on to beat 15th seed Soni Priyank of Kuala Lumpur 6-0, 6-4 before overcoming sixth seed Satveer Singh also from Kuala Lumpur 6-3, 6-2 in the
semi-finals.
“This is my first title of the year. I feel very good and happy with my performance and I am preparing for the SEA Games where I will be playing in the men’s doubles,” said Assri who is now training at the National Tennis Academy along Jalan Duta.
“On the singles event, it has to depend on my performance over the next few months going into the SEA Games.
“My target is to better my bronze medal achievement at the last SEA Games in Singapore,” he told the Borneo Post via a telephone interview from Kuala Lumpur.
As part of the SEA Games preparations, Assri will be will playing in the doubles in two ITF Men’s Futures tournaments in Kazakhstan next month.
His partner will either be Syed Agil Syed Naguib or Ahmad Deedat Abdul Razak.