Davis Cupper Kenny receives wild card for ATP event in Vietnam
CAMBODIA’S Davis Cup pivot Bun Kenny is in line for a rare distinction eight years after entering the national tennis scene.
Having led the Kingdom’s campaigns in Davis Cup matches, ITF Futures and regional showpiece events like the SEA Games, the 26year-old right-hander will for the first time compete in the main draw of an ATP Challenger Tour event in Vietnam.
The unranked Kenny has been given a wild card entry to the third edition of the Vietnam Open in Ho Chi Minh City, which starts on October 23, as a goodwill gesture from the Vietnam Tennis Federation to encourage players from the region.
While Kenny has built up a good Davis Cup singles record in Asia-Oceania Groups III and IV since the country’s debut in 2012, his Futures circuit record has taken a tumble.
At one stage, Kenny had nine ATP points and a ranking in the 600s, but he has now disappeared from the radar, a long process of recovery from a shoulder strain curtailing his tour appearances.
Just before the SEA Games in August, Kenny made it to the final of an open event in Kuala Lumpur, though he could not defend his Singapore bronze medal in the Games itself.
“I am keyed up and looking for ward to t his great opportunit y to play at t his level,” said Kenny, who has bypassed the qualifiers thanks to the wild card.
Among the top names featuring in the main draw list are Russian Mikhail Youzhny, India’s Yuki Bhambri and top Taiwanese player Chen Ti.
Youzhny was once ranked in the world’s top 10. The 35year-old former Russian No1 goes out as the top seed.
Both Bhambri, a former world junior No1 and winner of the 2009 Australian Open junior title, and Ti competed in the Cambodian Futures in Phnom Penh a couple of years ago.