Top ATP Players Join Future Tennis Stars to Launch Malaysian Open, Kuala Lumpur 2015

June 2015: This September will see the launch of the 7th annual Malaysian Open in Kuala Lumpur, a professional men's tennis tournament played on the indoor hardcourt of Putra Stadium, Bukit Jalil. Tennis stars from around the world will gather from September 26 to October 4 for the tournament, which carries prize money of over $US 1 million (around £680,000).

The tournament will welcome back some of the world's greatest tennis champions including David Ferrer and Feliciano Lopez of Spain and Grigor Dimitrov of Bulgaria. The local crowd will be particularly thrilled to watch the fast rising Nick Kyrgios, the 20 year Australian with Malaysian roots through his mother's side. He has developed an even greater following since his visit to the tournament last year, thanks to a quarter final performances at both Wimbledon and the Australian Open.   

Top players will be joined by some of Malaysia's best elite players who will receive a number of wild card places. The full entry list for the Malaysian Open Kuala Lumpur will be released the week of 17 August.

The Malaysian Open is working hard to make the event affordable for all with free entry from Saturday 26 September to Tuesday 29 September. Thereafter tickets will be between £2 to £110. Located in the Bukit Jalil suburb, around 20km south of the city centre, the stadium is easily accessible to visitors who are able to reach it by the LRT metro network, alighting at Bukit Jalil LRT Station. The stadium is part of the complex originally built for the 1998 Commonwealth Games.

“On behalf of all of us at the Lawn Tennis Association of Malaysia and after last year's wonderful tournament, we are delighted that the ATP Malaysian Open, Kuala Lumpur returns to Malaysia for the seventh edition,” said Yang Berbahagia Tan Sri Datuk Abdul Razak Latiff, president of The Lawn Tennis Association of Malaysia.

“With the many opportunities the tournament affords for tennis players and enthusiasts of all levels, the event is an important component of our development efforts, especially now given the renewed interest and focus towards our sport, and improved performances of our players, as emphasized by the Ministry of Youth and Sports.”

The tournament also coincides with MyFest 2015 – Malaysia Year of Festivals. The campaign is set to boost the tourism sector after the Visit Malaysia Year 2014 campaign to showcase and celebrate Malaysia's bountiful, diverse cultures and various festivities. So far celebrations have included January's grand launch and the Pesta Perarakan Chingay, a street parade event and part of the celebration of Chinese New Year. Visitors still have lots to look forward to including The Georgetown Festival which will celebrate the region's music, dance, arts and food including local and international artists and will be held 1- 31 August.

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Further Information

For more information on the tournament please visit www.MalaysianOpenTennis.com or https://www.facebook.com/MalaysianOpen.KualaLumpur or https://twitter.com/KLopentennis.

For more information on MyFest 2015 please visit http://www.tourism.gov.my/en/uk.

For media enquiries, please contact Jenny Lydeard, Verity Ramsay, Asha Sudha or Arwen Sellick at The Brighter Group on malaysia@brightergroup.com or call 0207 326 9880.

Tickets can be purchased now on-line via the tournament website www.MalaysianOpenTennis.com.