The annual Kinta Utara District School Sports Council (MSSD) Tennis Championship was held from Tuesday, March 28 to Thursday, March 30 at the Ipoh City Council tennis courts. The tournament, jointly organised by the Kinta Utara District Education Department, SK Seri Ampang and SMK Gunung Rapat, received over 70 entries.
The championship was divided into male and female categories for ages under 18, 15, 12 and 8 years. Winners walked away with medals and certificates. The top five players in the U-18, U-15 and U-12 categories will represent Kinta Utara at the Perak State School Sports Council (MSSPK) Tennis Championship in May this year.
According to the MSSPK tennis technical head, Khalid Fadli, Kinta Utara is the only district to incorporate tennis matches for children ages eight and below in the MSSD Tennis Championship. These matches, called mini tennis, are specially catered for young children to provide them with an opportunity to compete in the championship, but at the same time, not be intimidated by older players and the size of normal tennis courts.
In preparation for the upcoming MSSPK Tennis Championship, centralised training sessions will be organised to help the players step up their game. Friendlies with tennis teams from other districts will be held.
“Our aim is to sweep all six gold medals, and to defend our title as the overall champion in the MSSPK Tennis Championship,” said Khalid. He hoped the Kinta Utara tennis team would play their best during the championship.
Leanne Tan
