Satveer surprises ’em all

Boys under-12 doubles winner Muhammad Nur Iman Muhammad Noor Ariffin and Daryl Wong Li-Hom

ALTHOUGH Satveer Singh Seth has been training hard at the courts, the 15-year-old did not expect to find himself in the finals of the MBPJ-Milo Junior Tennis Open.

The tournament, held in Kelana Jaya, Petaling Jaya, was also Satveer’s first experience in the Maju Tennis Malaysia Junior Tour 2015 since it was introduced last year and the SMK St. Gabriel Kuala Lumpur student did not put much thought into it.

Being one of the unseeded players of the tournament, Satveer showed his strength when he cruised through the second round and quarterfinals in straight sets before meeting Mohd Syafiee Abdul Jalil from Pahang, who took him to a tie-breaker in the semifinals.

In the finals, Satveer was faced with third-seed Ryan Lee under the scorching sun at noon. Those who stayed back to catch the match were hoping to witness a long game but it all came to an end in less than two hours.

Satveer, who usually trains with his mother, pulled off a major upset as he beat Ryan in straight sets to win 6-2, 6-2 and take the title in the under-16 category.

“It has been a long time since my last win. I can’t even remember when that was,” he said after the match, adding that his grandfather who was also a former national player, Billy Lim, was his inspiration.

Coming into the finals, Satveer did not have a laid-down strategy but preferred to change his style according to his opponent on the day.

“For the finals I chose to play with a mix of defensive baseline and a more aggressive approach to the net,” said Satveer, who also won the under-16 doubles with his partner Razlan Shaqeel in straight sets.

The boys’ under-14 singles match was also entertaining as Christian Andre Liew gave Imran Daniel Hazli a run for his money. The match took close to three hours, exhausting the duo but their parents who were seated on the grandstands kept them going with words of encouragement and frequent cheers for every good shot they made.

Imran, who is seeded six in the tournament, won the first set but crumbled in the second after missing a shot from Christian.

“Everything just went wrong after I miss the shot and I was very angry with myself,” said the 10-year-old who had not drop a set in the tournament prior to the finals.

The SK Sri Hartamas student made a comeback and took the third set giving him the win.

The MBPJ- Milo Junior Tennis Open championship was the sixth leg of the Maju Tennis Malaysia Junior Tour 2015.