Tag Archives: kuala

Tiger Woods insists golf is too honest for Lance Armstrong-style controversy

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Scandalous! Tiger sticks the boot in as 14-time major champ insists golf is too honest for Armstrong-style controversy

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UPDATED:

15:07 GMT, 24 October 2012

Tiger Woods knows just how far there is to tumble when a top sportsman falls from grace – but the American is convinced golf will never be hit by a Lance Armstrong-style scandal.

Armstrong has been stripped of his seven Tour de France titles and banned from cycling for life for his part in a doping conspiracy which rocked the sport.

Cycling's reputation has been left in tatters but Woods insists, due to the culture of honesty within his own sport, there is no need to worry about golf going the same way.

Safe: Tiger Woods insists golf will never suffer a Lance Armstrong-style scandal

Safe: Tiger Woods insists golf will never suffer a Lance Armstrong-style scandal

'We just implemented testing probably three years ago I think it is,' said Woods. 'I know we don't do any blood work like some of the other sports do.

'Right now it's just urine samples, but that's certainly a positive step in the right direction to try and validate our sport.'

He added: 'This is a sport where we turn ourselves in on mistakes. A ball moves in the trees, guys call penalties on themselves. Golf is a different sport.

'I think that's one of the neat things about our great game, and I think with the testing, it's only enhanced that respectability throughout all of sport.'

Woods, a 14-time major winner, also made
headlines for all the wrong reasons but it was over his behaviour away
from the course when it was revealed in 2009 that he had a string of
affairs.

His wife Erin filed for divorce and Tiger lost several of his sponsors before undertaking a therapy programme.

High circles: Tiger played with Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak during the pro-am ahead of this week's CIMB Classic in Kuala Lumpur

High circles: Tiger played with Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak during the pro-am ahead of this week's CIMB Classic in Kuala Lumpur

Nike stayed with Woods despite the sex scandal but the American sports giant dropped Armstrong on the back of the drug revelations.

Rory McIlroy looks set to replace Woods as the main man with the company amid rumours of a 156million 10-year deal for the young Northern Irishman.

Woods never managed to get his hands on one of this year's majors and failed to win a match at the Ryder Cup but, with three PGA Tour wins to his name, he insists he is happy with 2012.

Speaking ahead of the CIMB Classic in Malaysia, he added: 'It's a really good year, no doubt, but winning a major championship just makes it a great year.

'The majors are such a different animal and different breed and we place so much emphasis on them.'

Disgraced: Armstrong has been stripped of his seven Tour de France wins

Disgraced: Armstrong has been stripped of his seven Tour de France wins

Happy with the progress he has made on the course and optimistic about what the future holds, it is off the course that still matters to him the most.

He trails the great Jack Nicklaus by four majors and, on 74 PGA Tour wins, is eight short of Sam Snead.

'Golf has always been a high priority in my life but family has been No 1, so that hasn't changed,' he said.

'I certainly want to break Jack's record and catch Snead's record, but being the best father I can possibly be to my two great kids, that is certainly number one in my life.'

Vincent Kompany leaves Manchester City tour with calf injury

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Exclusive: Concern for City as captain Kompany leaves tour early with calf injury

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UPDATED:

08:21 GMT, 29 July 2012

Manchester City captain Vincent Kompany has flown home early from the club's tour of the Far East after suffering a calf injury in the defeat against Arsenal on Friday night.

The Belgian international struggled with a calf problem towards the end of last season and pulled up in the second half of City's tour match against the Gunners in Beijing's Birds Nest Stadium.

Early bath: Kompany has flown back to England for treatment

Early bath: Kompany has flown back to England for treatment

Now Sportsmail
can reveal that Kompany has flown back to England for treatment today
after manager Roberto Mancini decided he would not be fit enough to face
a Malaysian XI here in Kuala Lumpur tomorrow night.

City
sources have stressed that there is no long-term concern over Kompany's
fitness but that they want to make sure he is fit for the start of the
season.

Arsenal agree Santi Cazorla fee of 16m with Malaga

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Cazorla is winging in to Arsenal in 16m deal… but is Theo heading out

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UPDATED:

23:29 GMT, 24 July 2012

Fantasy football 2012

Arsenal launched their tour of Asia with an unimpressive late 2-1 victory against a Malaysia XI as Arsene Wenger moved closer to clinching a deal for Santi Cazorla.

Wenger admires the Spanish winger and has swooped to take advantage of the financial uncertainty afflicting Qatari-backed Malaga.

The Gunners have agreed personal terms with the player and a fee of 16million with the club, who must settle outstanding debts before the end of the month or face relegation from La Liga. And Wenger is confident the 27-year-old will not be the final signing of the summer.

Gunner get you: Santi Cazorla looks set to swap Malaga for Arsenal

Gunner get you: Santi Cazorla looks set to swap Malaga for Arsenal

Despite claiming earlier this week that he wants to assess the fitness of Jack Wilshere and Abou Diaby before making a decision on his midfield, Wenger is still thought to be keen to sign 17m-rated Yann M’Vila from Rennes. He is also in pursuit of Caen’s 17-year-old striker M’Baye Niang, having had a 6m offer rejected.

Cazorla, who can operate on either flank, has been tipped as a potential replacement for Theo Walcott, who has less than a year to run on his contract. But Wenger is increasingly confident of persuading the winger to sign a new deal, despite interest from Chelsea and Liverpool.

‘As a player you want to win titles,
which we have not been doing but I believe we will soon,’ said Walcott
earlier this week in Malaysia.

A half-time substitute, Walcott played
35 minutes of the friendly in Kuala Lumpur before being
replaced by Thomas Eisfeld.

‘Theo is one of the players who has
trained for only two days,’ said Wenger. ‘I planned to give only 35
minutes to him or Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and I felt Theo was suffering
a bit more.’

Gunners on tour: Arsenal beat a Malaysia XI in Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday

Gunners on tour: Arsenal beat a Malaysia XI in Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday

Gunners on tour: Arsenal beat a Malaysia XI in Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday

Wenger played two entirely different outfield teams in each half, before sending on Eisfeld for Walcott with 10 minutes to go.

Arsenal were trailing 1-0 at the time
but Eisfeld, 19, levelled in the 87th minute before Chuks Aneke, also
19, grabbed a winner two minutes later with the help of a deflection.

‘It was a good work-out for us against
a good team,’ said Wenger. ‘The result was less important. We got the
quality of game we wanted. We still have a lot of work to do. We are far
from what we can produce.’

Arsenal have flown to China and their next game is against Manchester City in Beijing on Friday.

Strength in depth: Arsenal have already signed two new players

Strength in depth: Arsenal have already signed two new players

Up for the cup: Cazorla was part of Spain's victorious Euro 2012 squad

Up for the cup: Cazorla was part of Spain's victorious Euro 2012 squad

Meanwhile, on the other side of the
world, Thierry Henry revealed his intention to return to Arsenal once he
calls time on his playing career.

He said: ‘Eventually I’d like to go
back to Arsenal. I would go back to England, for sure, with Arsenal.
Coaching does interest me but I really don’t think about it right now.’

Arsenal mobbed in Malaysia on Far East tour

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He's behind you! Van Persie looms large as Arsenal squad greet fans in Malaysia

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UPDATED:

10:53 GMT, 23 July 2012

Fantasy football 2012

It seems that despite their best efforts to sweep the Robin van Persie saga under the carpet, Arsenal can't quite escape the shadow of their wantaway captain.

The club are currently on their latest tour of the Far East, and held a Q&A with fans at a Malaysian school on Monday.

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Andre Santos, Theo Walcott, Wojciech Szczesny, Kieran Gibbs and Ryo Miyaichi handled the questions, but it was the picture of the skipper – absent from this trip – on a giant poster behind them all that drew the most attention.

Van Persie has publicly declared
he will not be signing a new contract with the club and is wanted by Manchester duo
United and City, as well as Juventus.

Wenger said on Sunday he would not stand in the way if the striker wanted to leave and
insisted the club would remain competitive without him.

Keeping an eye on you: Arsenal players held a Q&A at a school in Kuala Lumpur having been mobbed by fans

Keeping an eye on you: Arsenal players held a Q&A at a school in Kuala Lumpur having been mobbed by fans

Keeping an eye on you: Arsenal players held a Q&A at a school in Kuala Lumpur having been mobbed by fans in the city

He said: 'We are very, very ambitious. Not only very ambitious but also very proud of the way we run the club.

‘For me, the size of a club is down to
the size of the support. It can be the size of the cheque book to
others but, for me, it’s the size of the support. You cannot question
the size of the club when one player leaves or goes. That’s not linked.’

He
added: ‘Robin Van Persie is a world class striker. I am a big supporter
of him and I have supported him throughout. We took him very young, he
has one year left and he is in demand.

'It is our desire to keep him, but we’ll
do what’s in the best interests of the club. If you have a decoder in
your head, you can decode that.’

As for the rest of the squad, long gone are the days when Arsenal
spent pre-season locked away in the foothills of Hungary and Austria,
playing the likes of Szombathelyi Haladas in preparation for the new
campaign.

Go go Gunners: The players posed up with a cannon much like the one that appears on the club badge

Go go Gunners: The players posed up with a cannon much like the one that appears on the club badge

Go go Gunners: The players posed up with a cannon much like the one that appears on the club badge

Over the next two weeks they will take in Malaysia and
China – as well as a match against Manchester City – in what is a trip designed to tap into the Asian market.

Before the Q&A at the school, the players were mobbed by hundreds
of adoring fans in Kuala Lumpur who clamoured to get autographs and take
pictures of their idols.

Fans queued outside the team’s hotel
to catch a glimpse of the likes of Oxlade-Chamberlain, Mikel Arteta
and Alex Song, and then hundreds attended an autograph session later in
the day.

Wenger admitted last month that the
club’s tour was a ‘compromise’ to commercialism, adding: ‘We had a
rational, methodical approach to our pre-season and we have sacrificed
some of that.’

Even Gunnersaurus came too: The club hope to continue tapping into the Asian market

Even Gunnersaurus came too: The club hope to continue tapping into the Asian market

So glad you're here: Fans took part in some training drills with Alex Song and others

So glad you're here: Fans took part in some training drills with Alex Song and others

So glad you're here: Fans took part in some training drills with Alex Song and others

So glad you're here: Fans took part in some training drills with Alex Song and others

But even he must have been impressed by the fervour of the club’s Malaysian fanbase, who cheered the team at every turn.

Arsenal
take on a Malaysian XI on Tuesday at the Bukit Jalil Stadium, before
moving on to Beijing to play City on Friday. They visit Hong Kong after
that to play local side Kitchee on July 29.

Fans in the Far East can expect to see
some of Arsenal’s next generation on the tour, with Wenger naming Serge
Gnabry, Chuks Aneke and Benik Afobe as ones to watch this season.

They
may feature in the absence of the likes of Lukas Podolski, Olivier
Giroud and Per Mertesacker, who have stayed behind to work on their
fitness after the European Championships.

Arsenal want Robin van Persie sold quickly

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Arsenal will survive! Wenger is keen on quick RVP sale as Gunners land in Malaysia

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UPDATED:

00:00 GMT, 23 July 2012

Fantasy football 2012

This city whipped up a familiar storm for Arsene Wenger as he arrived and shared his thoughts on the future of Robin van Persie.

Wenger was in the same hotel in the Malaysian capital this time last year, confessing publicly that Arsenal could convince no-one of their ambition if Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri were sold.

Twelve months on, with the pair long gone, Van Persie and Theo Walcott are into the uncertain territory of the final year of a contract, and the message was very different.

Welcome to KL: Arsenal were greeted by thrilled fans in the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur

Welcome to KL: Arsenal were greeted by thrilled fans in the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur

As Manchester United, City and Juventus jostle for Van Persie, Wenger admits he is prepared to sell his captain before the season starts; and his departure will not stop the club aiming for the top.

Walcott’s future seems slightly less urgent, though Arsenal are stepping up the pursuit of Malaga’s Santi Cazorla as a possible replacement.

‘We are very, very ambitious,’ said Wenger. ‘Not only very ambitious but also very proud of the way we run our club.

‘For me, the size of a club is down to the size of the support. It can be the size of the cheque book to others but, for me, it’s the size of the support. You cannot question the size of the club when one player leaves or stays. That’s not linked.’

Have your cake and eat it: Theo Walcott (left) is not certain to stay at Arsenal

Have your cake and eat it: Theo Walcott (left) is not certain to stay at Arsenal

Having made it clear he will not sign a new deal, Van Persie has prompted offers from United and City of around 15million and from Juventus of 10m.

United are in pole position but City will up their bid if they sell Carlos Tevez. Arsenal want more than 20m but are aware holding out for more will drag a deal deep into next month.

‘The official deadline is August 31, but we can create an internal deadline,’ said Wenger. ‘The transfer market should stop before the season starts.

‘Robin van Persie is a world-class striker. I am a big supporter of him and I have supported him throughout. We took him very young, he has one year left and he’s in demand.

‘It is our desire to keep him, but we’ll do what’s in the best interests of the club. If you have a decoder in your head, you can decode that.’

Warm welcome: Fans greeted the Arsenal squad as they touched down in Malaysia

Warm welcome: Fans greeted the Arsenal squad as they touched down in Malaysia

Things can change but it means that Van Persie is on his way out. As for Walcott’s future, Wenger wants to keep him too, but will not tolerate a repeat of last summer’s chaos.

‘Last year, the stability of our squad was challenged,’ said the Arsenal manager. ‘This year, we have small problems. We have a squad that is solid and used to playing together. We’ve bought two strikers.

‘Last year, we lost not only two players in the transfer market but also two more through injury in pre- season — Abou Diaby and Jack Wilshere. We lost Tomas Rosicky on top of that. It was too difficult.’

New recruits Lukas Podolski and Olivier Giroud are among a dozen first- teamers not on this tour, and Wenger vowed to maintain his faith in promotion from the youth ranks, naming Serge Gnabry, Chuks Aneke and Benik Afobe as three teenagers to watch this season.

Are you sitting comfortably: Alex Song relaxes in the bedroom on the team flight to Malaysia

Are you sitting comfortably: Alex Song relaxes in the bedroom on the team flight to Malaysia

‘We are the team, certainly the only one in the world at the elite level, who give chances to young players,’ Wenger said. ‘That’s why I believe Arsenal are loved all over the world.’

Diaby will feature against a Malaysia XI on Tuesday but Wilshere is still in the gym, yet to kick a ball after a year out with ankle and knee injuries.

‘Any player still in the gym in July is not on the pitch in August, that is for sure,’ said Wenger.

‘I don’t want to give him any precise deadline. I am positive but cautious, more positive this time because there is no setback,’ he added. ‘He had his ankle problem and this created a knee problem. He needed surgery on his knee tendon. The advantage of this was to heal completely the inflammation in the ankle.

Absent: Robin van Persie is not on tour and is set to be sold before the season starts

Absent: Robin van Persie is not on tour and is set to be sold before the season starts

‘The ankle is perfect and the knee is doing very well. He is still in the gym. Normally, he should go out again in a few weeks.’

On Diaby, the Arsenal manager said: ‘This tour is another decider for him. How does his body resist’ But Wenger ruled out a move for Yann M’Vila before learning more about the fitness of Diaby and Wilshere.

‘No, we wait for Diaby and Wilshere. We are not short if they are coming back. If we have setbacks, it could be different.’ On Cazorla, he was far more sly. ‘I don’t know this guy,’ he grinned.

Andy Johnson raring to go at QPR

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Johnson raring to go at QPR as striker claims contract talks halted playing time at Fulham

PUBLISHED:

14:01 GMT, 21 July 2012

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UPDATED:

14:01 GMT, 21 July 2012

Fantasy football 2012

QPR new boy Andy Johnson is delighted to be playing again after admitting the contract situation at former club Fulham played a part in his absence towards the end of last season.

The 31-year-old linked-up with former Whites boss Mark Hughes at Loftus Road this summer, having come to the end of his deal at Craven Cottage.

Raring: Andy Johnson said his absence at the end of last season was in part down to stuttering contract talks

Raring: Andy Johnson said his absence at the end of last season was in part down to stuttering contract talks

Johnson's last appearance for Fulham came in a 3-0 home defeat to Swansea in March after an adductor injury ruled him out of the Cottagers' remaining fixtures.

However, speaking after QPR's 5-0 win over Kelantan in Kuala Lumpur, the striker suggested it was his contract situation as opposed to injury status that ruled him out.

Johnson said: 'It was important to get some more game time under my belt.

'It's really important for me to get that time on the pitch because we've all had eight weeks off, and I didn't play the last four or five weeks of last season because of my situation with contracts and stuff, so I am delighted to be getting back out there again.

Happy: Johnson (left) is glad he left Craven Cottage

Happy: Johnson (left) is glad he left Craven Cottage

'Now I just need to get the first goal under my belt and then I can kick on from there.'

Johnson is one of the six acquisitions made by QPR so far this summer and believes his new club can kick on after securing survival last season.

'I have settled in brilliantly,' he said. 'The new signings are fantastic, and go well with the great players that are already here.

'The squad have made the likes of myself, Ji-Sung Park, Rob Green, Fabio and all the new lads feel very welcome.

'It feels like a great squad. There is a great togetherness already and an excellent atmosphere around the place.

'I think it is going to be a great season for QPR.'

Louis Oosthuizen wins Malaysian Open

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Oosthuizen bounces back from Masters misery to land Malaysian Open

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UPDATED:

09:29 GMT, 15 April 2012

South Africa's Louis Oosthuizen produced the perfect response to his play-off defeat at the Masters last Sunday by claiming the Malaysian Open title.

The 29-year-old former Open champion, who missed out on a second major at Augusta when he lost a play-off to American Bubba Watson at Augusta, finished 17 under par at Kuala Lumpur Golf & Country Club – three shots ahead of Scotland's Stephen Gallacher.

Glory: Louis Oosthuizen celebrates with the trophy after winning the Malaysian Open

Glory: Louis Oosthuizen celebrates after winning the Malaysian Open trophy

Oosthuizen admitted that the 30-hour journey from Georgiahad made things tough, but he coped admirably with the jet-lag this week and carded four sub-70 rounds.

He completed his third round (69) earlier on Sunday after storms prevented him from doing so yesterday before keeping his cool to post a final-round four-under 68.

Good show: Scotland's Stephen Gallacher finished in second place

Good show: Scotland's Stephen Gallacher finished in second place

The victory lifted Oosthuizen to second place in the European Tour Race to Dubai behind US Open champion Rory McIlroy.

Oosthuizen held a one-shot lead overnight and began the day by producing a steady level-par end to his third round – bogeying 13 before gaining the shot back on 16.

Winning feeling: Louis Oosthuizen triumphed at the Malaysian Open

Winning feeling: Oosthuizen triumphed a week after losing out on a green jacket

Gallacher briefly joined the leader with birdies on 15 and 16 but a bogey on 17 ensured it was Oosthuizen who led going into the final round.

Oosthuizen continued where he left off as he sought a fifth European Tour crown, and birdies on three and five gave him daylight over Gallacher.

His third bogey of the week at the sixth hole set him back, but he responded superbly. He kept his cool to sink testing putts for birdie on seven and 13 and then made the most of a slice of luck in narrowly avoiding the water on 16 to pick up another shot there and open up a comfortable cushion.

Water sight: Germany's Martin Kaymer watches a shot during the final round

Water sight: Germany's Martin Kaymer watches a shot during the final round

Gallacher remained the nearest challenger throughout and signed off with a bogey-free final round of 70, but could not close the gap.

England's Danny Willett (71), Spain's Rafael Cabrera-Bello (71) and American David Lipsky (70) were tied for third on 12 under.

Malaysian Open 2012: Louis Oosthuizen makes solid start on day one

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Oosthuizen bids to bounce back from Masters woe with strong start at Malaysian Open

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UPDATED:

12:00 GMT, 12 April 2012

Louis Oosthuizen shrugged off the disappointment of his Masters play-off defeat to Bubba Watson to make a strong start at the Malaysian Open.

Former Open champion Oosthuizen, who narrowly missed out on his second major crown at Augusta on Sunday, showed no signs of a mental hangover as he shot six birdies and an eagle in an opening-round 66.

His close friend, South African compatriot and playing partner Charl Schwartzel held the lead at the end of the first day following a sparkling eight-under 64, which included nine birdies.

Strong start: Louis Oosthuizen is looking to bounce back from his Masters disappointment at the Malaysian Open

Strong start: Louis Oosthuizen is looking to bounce back from his Masters disappointment at the Malaysian Open

Schwartzel, like Oosthuizen, had a 30-hour journey from the United States to Kuala Lumpur – he handed over the green jacket to Watson after winning the event last year – and was relieved to have felt few ill-effects.

'I felt surprisingly good today,' Schwartzel told the European Tour's official website.

'I got a good night's sleep and woke up this morning before the alarm.

'The tiredness seems to catch me more in the afternoon than the morning so it felt pretty good.

'I played very well today. It has been some time coming now because I have been working really hard for the last couple of months and I haven't had anything happen for me.

'It could have been one or two lower as I missed a couple of chances towards the end there but I am happy with 64 – I haven't shot a number like that for a while.'

Pairing up: Oosthuizen was partnered on the course by compatriot Charl Schwartzel

Pairing up: Oosthuizen was partnered on the course by compatriot Charl Schwartzel

Oosthuizen believes himself and Schwartzel adapted well to the course after a hectic few days.

'It was a long haul getting here,' he said. 'I think me and Charl knew the first round concentration levels won't be great, but we did well.

Golf blog

'I knew the swing was still good. It was just adapting to the weather and the green speed, but I putted beautifully again today and hope to keep it going for the week.

'I feel like I'm swinging well. I think a lot of times, we're used to a lot of travel and we adapt quickly.

'We knew there was always going to be one tough round which is normally the first one and luckily for us, it was early in the morning. We can have a nice rest now.'

In the swing: Jeev Milkha Singh shot an impressive opening round 65

In the swing: Jeev Milkha Singh shot an impressive opening round 65

Jeev Milkha Singh is second after an opening 65 – which included an eagle at the par-five 10th – one shot ahead of Oosthuizen, American Jason Knutzon and fellow Indian Jyoti Randhawa.

Scotland's Stephen Gallacher is one of three players in a tie for fifth after a 67.

Malaysian Open: Live leaderboard

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Malaysian Open leaderboard: Keep up with the latest scores

The European Tour is at the Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club this week for the Maybank Malaysian Open.

Matteo Manassero took the title last year and you can keep track of all the latest scores right here.

CLICK HERE FOR THE LIVE LEADERBOARD

Two good: Italian youngster Matteo Manassero held his nerve to clinch his second European Tour title at the 2011 Maybank Malaysian Open

Two good: Italian youngster Matteo Manassero held his nerve to clinch his second European Tour title at the 2011 Maybank Malaysian Open

Keothavong slumps to Malaysian Open first round surrender to qualifier

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Keothavong slumps to Malaysian Open first round surrender to qualifier

Anne Keothavong was beaten in the first round of the BMW Malaysian Open in Kuala Lumpur.

The eighth-seeded Briton went down 6-4, 7-5 to Taiwanese qualifier Hsieh Su-wei.

Keothavong struggled badly with her serve, winning only 37 per cent of points on her first delivery, as she lost in just over an hour and a half.

Out: Keothavong

Out: Keothavong