Tennis tyke Imran does Malaysia proud with victory in Germany

Malaysian junior tennis player Imran Daniel warming up with the help of his father Abdul Hazli Zainuddin before the start of the Base 11 and under Stars of Tomorrow tennis tournament in Hohr-Grenzhausen, Germany.

PETALING JAYA: Unseeded 10-year-old Imran Daniel Abdul Hazli brought Merdeka Day joy to the nation with a stunning triumph in the Base 11 and under Stars of Tomorrow tennis tournament in Hohr-Grenzhausen, Germany.

Despite playing in a clay-court tournament for the first time, Imran, who is coached by his father and former international Abdul Hazli Zainuddin, beat top seed Nicolas Philibert of England 6-2, 6-1 in the boys’ singles final on Sunday.

Imran opened his campaign by beating Slovenia’s Tim Kuster 6-0, 6-1 and then subdued German No. 1 Marc Majdandzi 6-0, 4-6, 6-2 to reach the last eight.

He advanced to the semi-finals in style with a 6-0, 6-0 win over Swede Linus Lofvenhaft on Friday.

In the semi-finals on Saturday, Imran downed Holland’s Manvydas Balciunas while Philibert beat Omar Kenani of Tunisia 6-3, 6-4.

“Malaysia celebrate National Day tomorrow and I am happy to win this tournament. I hope I can win more competitions in the future,” said Imran, who dreams of playing on the ATP Tour one day.

Imran’s win was his second international success. He won the Under-8 title in the PTT Hatyai Open in Thailand in 2012.  

Sayed Alfeizal Sayed Ahmad, Imran’s manager, was pleased the win came on the eve of the 58th Merdeka Day.

“We were hoping he could spring a surprise in the final. And he did not disappoint us.

“Imran has been beating kids a few years older than him in the SportExcel Junior Circuit back home. We sent him to Europe to gauge his level.

“This is a world-level tournament as the top European players also took part,” said Sayed Alfeizal.