KUALA LUMPUR: All the five Malaysian players face tricky opening rounds in the US$207,500 Hong Kong Open which begins tomorrow.
World No. 10 S. Sivasangari will face Egypt's world No. 12 Fayrouz Aboelkheir, whom she beat in a tough five-setters in the Singapore Open quarter-finals last month.
If Sivasangari gets past Fayrouz, the Kedahan, who was the losing semi-finalist in both the Malaysia Cup and Singapore Open last month, is likely to meet Belgium's world No. 7 Nele Coll in the second round.
Two-time national junior champion Aira Azman will meet Coll for the first time. Aira's elder sister, Aifa, will play New Zealand's Joelle King, whom she lost to in the China Open last month.
China Open champion Rachel Arnold will take on England's world No. 20 Sarah Jane Perry.
In the men's competition, Asian champion Ng Eain Yow faces world No. 3 Paul Coll of New Zealand in the first round. The Malaysian has lost to the Kiwi four times this year in competitions.
National chief coach Ajaz Azmat said all the five Malaysian players face a tough draw in the Hong Kong Open.