Malaysia’s Glam Slam

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE October 26, 2009

THE SHOWDOWN OF CHAMPIONS 2009 – THE GLAM SLAM

October 26, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – Tennis fans will be treated to a star-studded two-night event that combines glamour, beauty, sports and fashion in the Showdown of Champions 2009, Asia versus Russia, on December 19-20.

In what has been billed as the Glam Slam, a quartet of stars – Elena Dementieva, Maria Kirilenko, Sania Mirza and Zheng Jie – will feature in the Showdown of Champions 2009 at the Malawati Stadium in Shah Alam.

World no 5 (as at Oct 19, 2009) Elena will join forces with her fellow Russian, Maria, to take on two of Asia’s biggest sporting icons – China’s Zheng Jie and India’s Sania.

This was announced by the Tourism Minister, Dato’ Sri Dr Ng Yen Yen, at the official launch of the event at the Pavilion Kuala Lumpur, the official launch venue, here today. The Showdown of Champions 2009 is also endorsed by event ambassador, Anna Kournikova.

Anna, the world No 1 junior at 14, remains an icon despite having hung up her racket in 2003. Her appeal and popularity are illustrated by her stature as United States’ No 9 favourite female sports stars in a recent poll.

Anna was ranked as high as No 8 in 2000 and won 16 doubles titles, earning the No 1 ranking at the end of 1999. She was runner-up in mixed doubles at Wimbledon in 1999 and the US Open in 2000. Before calling it quits six years ago, Anna had the distinction of beating five No 1 players – Lindsay Davenport, Martina Hingis, Monica Seles, Steffi Graf and Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario.

Also present at the launch were Lawn Tennis Association of Malaysia (LTAM) president, Datuk Abdul Razak Latiff and LD Sports chairman, Datuk Mohd Taufik Omar.

“The Showdown of Champions 2009 has lined-up a quartet of stars that caters to the large market segments we wish to explore further,” said Dato Sri’ Ng.

Dato’ Sri Ng also announced The Showdown of Champions as a fixture in the Ministry of Tourism’s annual calendar.

“It will be a yearly event that appeals to a cross-section of the society,” she added.

Anna was excited to be part of the project.

“I’m really excited to be part of the Showdown of Champions 2009. I think it will benefit Malaysia. Malaysia and Malaysians are fortunate to be able to witness such an event. I have heard so much about the event and I believe it encourages tennis fans from this region to travel and experience a unique show. Tennis is a popular sport and people love to travel between countries and even continents to watch their favourite stars in action.

“I’m sure people from China will root for Zheng Jie and India will follow Sania’s performance. I will be rooting for Elena and Maria,” she added.

Elena is the 2008 Olympic Games gold medallist who enjoys a good record in Asia. The Showdown of Champions 09, Asia versus Russia will help Elena prepare for the Hopman Cup in January, where she will partner Igor Andreev.

Maria, the world No 61, is one of the most attractive and sexiest tennis stars on the planet. The poster girl affectionately called Makiri likes connecting athletics and fashion and appeared in the glamourous 2009 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition.

Sania, blessed with Bollywood looks and one of the most recognised and talked about women in India, personifies the emerging India and is regarded with a passion usually reserved for movie stars and the country’s cricket team. She is currently ranked 58th in the world.

Zheng Jie, ranked 35th in the world, has the distinction of becoming the first Chinese player ever to reach the semifinals of a Grand Slam singles tournament in Wimbledon in 2008 and only the second time a wild-card player has reached the women’s semifinals in the Open era. Generous and charitable outside the court, Zheng Jie donated her winnings to the Sichuan earthquake victims.