Ruthless display: Perak’s Mitsuki Leong returning a shot to compatriot Daniel Prickett in the boys’ singles final.
NATIONAL tennis player Mitsuki Leong asserted his dominance on the court once again at the Malaysia Games (Sukma) when he won the gold medal in the boy’s singles event yesterday.
The 20-year-old from Perak defended his gold medal in the event against teammate Daniel Prickett when he won 6-1, 6-4 at the Sarawak Lawn Tennis Association (SLTA) yesterday.
Mitsuki said he feels relieved to have defended his title, as this would be his final Sukma appearance.
“It really feels like a relief for me, and it sure feels good to be able to defend my title at my second Sukma.
“The match felt good too. Daniel played a very good game.
“He was able to hold his serves and kept doing that throughout the game, but I managed to break his serve at the start which was good,” he said.
The 1.75m athlete said he has played against Daniel multiple times in the past, and genuinely enjoyed their time together on court.
“I do practise and play with him sometimes, he is a really good opponent.
“Overall, this Sukma wasn’t a walk in the park, everyone brought their best game to the courts and the challenge was tough,” he said.
Currently ranked 709 in the ATP standings, Mitsuki wants to work his way up the ladder.
“I am already playing professionally at the moment, so I want to keep that stride and hope to increase my rankings.
“I might be heading to either Thailand or China soon for some tournaments, but I haven’t decided yet,” he said.
In the bronze medal match, Darrshan Suresh Kumar of the Federal Territories took the bronze medal after teammate Leroy Yong retired while trailing 2-4 in the first set.
Mitsuki was supposed to play the mixed doubles final match together with his sister Shihomi Leong, but the match was postponed due to heavy rain in Kuching and will be played today, if the weather permits.
