Agil edges closer to Masters title
SYED Agil Syed Naguib overcame a nagging back injury to take a step closer to winning his maiden National Masters title after downing former national teammate Ashaari Zainal in the finalfour of the tournament yesterday.
Agil battled his way from 4-2 and 3-1 down in the first and second set to eventually win 6-4, 6-4 in a bruising two hours and 30 minutes encounter at the National Tennis Centre in Jalan Duta.
The 23-year-old, who finished second in his round robin group to qualify for the semi-finals, said he was glad to overcome a determined Ashaari despite struggling with a back muscle strain.
“It was a lot closer than it looked, every game went to the wire as both of us were playing very well,” said Agil.
“It was tough for me as I was not really feeling 100 per cent fit, I have been carrying a back strain for a while now and we have played some tough tennis so far this week.”
He will face Ahmad Deedat Abdul Razak in the final today. Deedat defeated Christian Oliver Lee 6-0, 6-4 to book his spot in the decider.
Agil made it clear he will have to be on top of his game to beat Deedat.
“Deedat beat me in the round robin stage so I will have to make some changes to my game.
“He (Deedat) likes to play a fast game, even between points, so I have to adapt and maintain my focus.
“I have come close a few times but I have never won the Masters, hopefully I can do it tomorrow.”
The women’s final will see Hannah Yip playing Thean Li-Jian for the title. Hannah defeated Ezatul Syafiqah Mohd Nazri 6-0, 6-1 while Li-Jian downed Nur Innez Sabrina Ariffin 5-7, 6-4, 7-6 (5) in the semi-finals. Fadhli Ishak