Six-year drought keeps Alex thirsty for title

PETALING JAYA: Veteran Alex Liew stayed on course to reclaim the Malaysian Open crown which he last won in 2006.

Yesterday, the 42-year-old chalked up 1,792 pinfalls in eight games to make the top-16 cut for the second round at the Sunway Mega Lanes.

Indonesia’s Hardy Rachmadian set the pace with a 1,868 total while another Malaysian national bowler Timmy Tan shot a 1,757 total to complete the top three standings.

World champion Rafiq Ismail kept his title defence hopes alive by coming in 13th after rolling a 1,648 total while marque names like Sean Rash and Kyle Troup of the United States and England’s Dominic Barrett are all through to the next round to ensure a thrilling finale.

Joining the fray to make it a 24-man contest today are locals Noor Afizal Azizan, Syafiq Ridhwan Abdul Malek and Wang Muhammad Naqib, Australia’s Sam Cooley, Hong Kong’s Wu Siu Hong, Thailand’s Surasak Manuwong and Indonesia’s Ryan Lalisang.

The eight of them have earned a first-round bye by virtue of being the top four qualifiers from the Local Pool and Oversea Pool at the end of the one-week qualifying rounds yesterday.

All the 24 qualifiers will bowl another eight games and the top three will advance into the step-ladder playoffs. The winner is set to land a RM50,000 jackpot.

Buoyed by his solid form, Alex is determined add a second title to his name in the nation’s premier tournament. His other motivation is to end a long six-year drought for an Open tournament victory.

“It’s been a while since I last won in an Open tournament. The last was the 2013 Brunei Open. So it would be really nice if I could win my first Open title in six years and end my 13-year title drought at the Malaysian Open,” said Alex.

In the women’s Open battle, Malaysia’s Nur Syazwani Sahar continued her recent fine form to top the 27-player first round yesterday with a 1,828 total to finish 117 pins ahead of second-placed Sung Gyong-eun of South Korea.

Veteran Shalin Zulkifli showed she’s still a formidable force with a 1,682 score to come in third.

Natasha Roslan and Gillian Lim were the other two Malaysians to have made the top-10 cut.

Six best qualifiers including defending champion Sin Li Jane, Syaidatul Afifah Badrul Hamidi and Siti Safiyah Amirah Abdul Rahman, South Korea’s Kim Ji-su and Singapore duo Jermain Seah and Charlene Lim will make up 16-woman second round today.