By Marc Raphael, PE 1st/2nd
Tronoh, 23th November – “I never thought I could actually win the tournament!” This is what Amirul Ariff bin Sazali (CE, 2nd Year, 2nd Sem) had to say of his triumph in the recent UTP Tennis Close Championship. The event, which saw a healthy number of participants this year, was organised by Sekretariat Rakan Muda, and held at UTP tennis courts on the 22nd and 23rd of November.
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| A heavily tanned Amirul on his way to a hard- fought victory. |
Amirul, whose preparation for the tournament was constantly being disrupted by unfavourable weather conditions, expressed immense surprise at his victory, and thanked God for his achievement. He was also delighted at being able to gain revenge over his fellow finalist Mohd Zulkarnain B. Hashim, who knocked him out in last year’s semi-finals. “My opponent in the final is an extremely good player. Alhamdulillah, thanks to God, after playing under the burning hot sun I managed to beat him,” said Amirul.
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| Syaza(left) with runner-up Nooraishah after their match. |
In the women’s category, it was newcomer Syazwani binti Mohd Ali (ME, 1st Year, 1st Sem) who emerged as champion, beating Wan Nooraishah binti Wan Abdul Kadir (CV, 1st Year, 1st Sem) in the final. Syazwani (Syaza), who only enrolled here at UTP back in September, was just as surprised at her win: “I wasn't expecting the victory at all since all the players have played really well during the tournament!” Like Amirul, Syaza only began training a week prior to the event, which explained why the victory exceeded her expectations.
When asked if they would be returning to defend their titles, both champions expressed their eagerness to do just that, with Amirul hoping he won’t be too busy in his 3rd Year to prepare for next year’s tournament.
Unfortunately, not everyone went home a winner that day. For some, it was simply a learning experience. Vincent Koh (CE, 1st Year, 1st Sem) and Cedric Lemuel Lee (CE, 2nd Year, 2nd Sem), teaming up for the doubles event, lost all their matches but were still happy to have participated. “Next year we’ll be champs!” said Vincent, who tells us that his partnership with Cedric is still new, and will take time to develop into a force to be reckoned with. That’s the spirit guys!
Event organising committee member Khairil Anwar Bn. Muhajir (2nd Year, 2nd Sem) told HOT that there’s talk of an official UTP Tennis Club on the way soon. According to Khairil, rumour has it that Block B (a reference to the co-curriculum department) is looking to establish some new sports clubs, as the new Vice-Chancellor is apparently a sports-lover himself. Are there some exciting changes in store for sports fans here at UTP? We’ll just have to wait to see!
