The Star Online: Sports
The Star Online: Sports |
- A slog for Nikolay
- Hutchins loves cooking up a storm with his girlfriend
- Late-starter Yani is not done with tennis yet
| Posted: 26 Sep 2012 06:34 PM PDT KUALA LUMPUR: Former champion Nikolay Davydenko was made to huff and puff before getting past lucky loser Sanam Singh in the first round of the Malaysian Open ATP 250 tennis tournament at the Putra Stadium in Bukit Jalil yesterday. Davydenko, who made the semi-finals of the Moselle Open last week, was not moving at his best against Sanam and had to dig deep into his reserves to prevail 7-5, 6-4. Sanam, who lost in the qualifying rounds, was elevated to the main draw after Slovakia's Martin Klizan withdrew from the competition. And the India player was in such inspired mood that he pushed the experienced Davydenko all the way before the Russian came back strongly to win the match. The 31-year-old Davydenko, who won the 2009 edition of the Malaysian Open, will face Denis Istomin in the second round after the Uzbek pulled off the shock of the day by beating sixth seed Pablo Andujar of Spain 6-3, 6-2. "I didn't practice on the centre court before this match and it was definitely a slow start by me ... I also made quite a few easy mistakes," said Davydenko. "I will have to improve more if I want to beat Istomin ... I need to have more speed and control from the baseline. "Istomin is very good with his returns and I will definitely practise a little before the match." Columbia's Alejandro Falla and Russia's Alex Bogomolov Jr are also through to the next round after fairly straightforward first round wins. Canadian Vasek Pospisil, who came into the tournament as the lowest ranked direct entry, became the first player to qualify for the quarter-finals after beating qualifier Michael Yani 6-3, 7-5 yesterday. "I'm very happy with the win and I'm looking forward to more good matches," said the world No. 122 Pospisil. |
| Hutchins loves cooking up a storm with his girlfriend Posted: 26 Sep 2012 06:34 PM PDT KUALA LUMPUR: British doubles tennis player Ross Hutchins is no stranger to the kitchen, having doubled up as a baking assistant to his girlfriend of 10 years – Lindsay Wood – back home in Wimbledon. "Yeah, I love being in the kitchen. My girlfriend's a great cook and she's really big on baking. She bakes everything under the sun – cookies, log cakes, speciality cakes, victoria sponges with fruits and whipped cream. I'm usually her kitchen assistant," said Hutchins. On Monday, the world No. 37, who is here for the Malaysian Open, gamely donned a chef's hat and apron as he joined Alexandr Dolgopolov and Alejandro Falla in the kitchen at DoubleTree by Hilton to bake the hotel's signature chocolate chip cookies as part of the hotel's charity event – Baked with Care. The cookies, which will be packaged into autographed tins, will be sold at RM50 per tin in aid of the Dignity for Children Foundation's mission to provide education for children living in poverty. "I just think it's a brilliant event by the organisers to tie baking and tennis together. I'm really happy to be part of it, especially when it's for a good cause. I'm just not that skilled as you would have seen just now," laughed Hutchins. A silver medallist in the men's doubles at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi, Hutchins loves nothing more than to unwind in front of the television set watching his favourite cooking shows. "Lindsay and I watch a lot of cooking shows together. We're big fans of Ina Garten and her show 'Barefoot Contessa' but I also like Jamie Oliver, Nigella Lawson and, of course, 'Man vs Food'," he said. Hutchins' love affair with food does not end there as his girlfriend also bakes him treats to bring along while he's on tour. "Yeah, she usually bakes cookies for me. It's usually things that have a long shelf life, so I can bring them on tour. The last one she baked was these chocolates nest that looked like little birds nest but I've finished them already," said the 27-year-old with a smile. Hutchins will have to forget about baking for a little longer after he and his partner Colin Fleming booked their place in the quarter-finals by beating Alejandro Falla-Igor Sijsling 6-3, 6-2 in the men's doubles first round on Tuesday. |
| Late-starter Yani is not done with tennis yet Posted: 26 Sep 2012 04:34 PM PDT KUALA LUMPUR: Michael Yani is no Andre Agassi, nor is he a Pete Sampras. He is just an average Joe tennis player from the United States, struggling to make a living on the professional circuit and just one of the nice guys. Since turning pro in 2003, the 31-year-old Yani has just amassed just a little over US$360,000 – a pittance compared to the astronomical amount the top players make. Bu Yani, who was born in Singapore to a Chinese father and stayed there until he was eight, is just one of those guys who won't quit simply because he loves the sport. Since becoming a regular at the Malaysian Open ATP 250 since 2010, Yani produced one of his best performances this year to get through three tough qualifying matches to make the main draw. He then beat world No. 62 Brian Baker in the first round on Monday. Yani's run finally came to an end at the hand of Canadian youngster Vasek Pospisil. At almost 10 years younger than Yani, Pospisil proved too strong and won 6-3, 7-5. But the journeyman Yani is not done yet. He's definitely still going strong although others around his age, like Andy Roddick, have retired. "Well, Roddick may have retired but at least he had a slightly better career than me," joked Yani. The affable Yani reckons that he still has a few years left in his body to keep up with the travelling and competing before falling back on a degree he obtained from Duke University years ago. "I'm still playing because I love it. I love the travelling and playing around the world, although I do not make much money. Since I studied for a degree, I only started playing on the pro tour when I was about 23, which was about four years behind the guys," he said. "I really don't know where I haven't played because I've been to so many places. But I would really like to go to South Africa and maybe more of Brazil." |
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