The 2016 BMW Malaysian Open is a final hardcourt event before the significant Indian Wells tournament in the middle of March. Players trying to get some more match play and fine-tuning in advance of the North American hardcourt swing will try to get some work in this week in Kuala Lumpur. The work, as much as the results, is what matters.
The competition in the 32-player main draw will begin on Monday, February 29.
Event Details
Event: Malaysian Open
Category: WTA International Level
Date: February 29 – March 6, 2016
Location: Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club – Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
With a prize money allotment of $226,750, this tournament doesn’t really present a lot of pop in terms of bank accounts, but it’s still a chance for a lot of players in the field to get practice and visit an exotic location on the tour.
The points structure under the WTA system is that for the women, the championship at an International level tour event means 280 points. A runner-up finish is worth 180. A semifinal result is 110 points, and a quarterfinal appearance offers 60 points. Round-of-16 results will give 30 points.
Former Champions and Results (5 Years)
Year Champion Runner-up Score
2015 – Caroline Wozniacki def. Alexandra Dulgheru – 4-6, 6-2, 6-1
2014 – Donna Vekic def. Dominika Cibulkova – 5-7, 7-5, 7-6 (4)
2013 – Karolina Pliskova def. Bethanie Mattek-Sands – 1-6, 7-5, 6-3
2012 – Se-Wei Hsieh def. Petra Martic – 2-6, 7-5, 4-1 (RET.)
2011 – Jelena Dokic def. Lucie Safarova – 2-6, 7-6 (9), 6-4
Player Info:
While this is a small-tier event, some noticeable names will come to the tournament. Roberta Vinci, the recent U.S. Open runner-up who stunned the tennis world with her upset of Serena Williams, is going to make the trek here from Doha, where she just lost in the quarterfinals to Agnieszka Radwanska. Vinci’s loss in the quarterfinals is never what a player desires, but the loss will allow Vinci to get some rest before starting this tournament. It will help her to play better in the round of 32 and, should she get past that, the round of 16.
Caroline Wozniacki is, like Vinci, a former U.S. Open finalist. She’s also a former Australian Open semifinalist, so hardcourts (this is a hardcourt event) should suit her. However, Wozniacki hasn’t been able to get her game going in 2016. She lost in her first match at the Australian Open, lost in her first match at the St. Petersburg Open and lost in the third round at the Qatar Open last week. She’s fallen on hard times but she’s still very talented and a lot of people are expecting big things from her this season. She could use a deep run this week to play her way into form and build confidence for the rest of the season.
Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club
The Malaysian Open will be played at this venue for the first time. This is not a case in which a tournament is leaving one old and worn venue for another one, due to an emergency or some other sort of contingency plan. This tennis facility established for the 2016 tournament is a brand-new one, just built in time for this event. It’s going to be the long-term home of the BMW Malaysian Open well into the future. The organizers of the tournament cited the need for a more centrally-located site that would accommodate players and media.
Remember that this tournament is played on a hardcourt surface. What that means is that certain players will thrive here while others will tend to struggle. When you’re betting on the tennis lines for this event, you’ll want to look for players that thrive with power and serves. Players that can hit strong ground strokes for winners and players who have big serves that can produces aces will do best on the hardcourt. It plays the fastest of the three surfaces. In terms of players that you’ll want to avoid, you’ll want to stay away from players that thrive on defense and speed. That type of players is bound to do well on the clay surface, which slows down the ball, but at the Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club, the game is going to play fast and the clay court specialists are not going to thrive here.
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