Jawairiah makes her fourth appearance, while Nurin makes her debut
National No 1 Jawairiah Noordin and Nurin Nabilah Roslan have been selected by the Lawn Tennis Association of Malaysia (LTAM) to play in the WTA BMW Malaysian Open at the Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club (KLGCC), on Feb 29-March 6.
Both are wild card entries for the qualifying round of the singles event, which starts tomorrow.
Jawairiah, the World No 1,287 ranked, will also play in the doubles main draw with a foreign player.
It will be Jawairiah’s fourth appearance in the competition, while Nurin Nabilah, 18, earned the other wild card after winning a trial conducted by LTAM recently for her debut appearance.
For the record, no local player has ever won a singles match in the BMW Malaysian Open. Jawairiah came close in 2012 by taking a set off Japan’s Shuko Aoyama, before losing the first round qualifying match.
The 26-year-old made her debut in the qualifiers in 2010 and played in the main draw last year, where she lost 6-2, 6-1 to Kazakhstan’s Yulia Putintseva in the first round.
“I did not play for three months following an elbow injury. The BMW Malaysian Open is my first tournament of the season,” said Jawairiah at KLGCC today.
“I am eager to make an impression and hopefully, win a match. I am in good shape coming back from the injury. I am using the BMW Malaysian Open to build my momentum before I head to Egypt, Tunisia or Turkey for several US$10,000 Women’s Tour tournaments.
Jawairiah, who achieved her career best ranking of No 931 in 2009, hopes to break into the top 400 before the end of the season.
“The only difference between lower ranked players and the top ones, is the mental strength. A player can only gain confidence by playing regularly in international tournaments,” Jaiwairiah added.
As for Nurin Nabilah, the Negri Sembilan-born feels excited as it is her first outing in a major women’s ev
“The BMW Malaysian Open will give me the opportunity to learn and gain exposure. I am looking forward to the challenge,” said Nurin Nabilah, who beat Belinda Chai and Suhana Sofia Adam Das in a recent LTAM trial to earn a wildcard for the BMW Malaysian Open.
KLGCC general manager Steven Thielke thanked the organiser, Carbon Sports Sdn Bhd, for hosting the tournament at KLGCC for the first time.
“KLGCC is well served by major roads and also has ample parking facility for fans. We have done 16 major tournaments, including the Maybank Malaysian Open, Sime Darby LPGA and CIMB Classic (all golf).
“Our team’s knowledge, attention to detail and hospitality will assure spectators and the media a world-class experience,” said Thielke.
