PETALING JAYA, July 25 — Though tennis is not popular in Malaysia, there are local players who do the nation proud by excelling at the game while studying abroad.

Last month Mailsport highlighted national women’s player Aslina Chua An Ping, who is on a tennis scholarship at Michigan State University in United States.

She was named the Cissie Leary Award winner for excellence in studies and sports by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) on May 25. Aslina is studying medicine.

Now we can add Koay Hao Sheng, a freshman at University at Buffalo (UB) in New York, to the list of Malaysians doing well in sports while pursuing their tertiary education.

The 19-year-old got in on a tennis scholarship after finishing SPM at SMK Sri Hartamas with 4As, 4Bs and a C. He is pursuing a degree in electrical engineering.

Hao Sheng’s freshman year has been remarkable.

In January he joined a UB tennis team (also known as Bulls) that had only two returnees from the previous year and six new faces this season.

The Bulls compete in the Mid-American Conference (MAC) from which the winners get to play in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA).

They had missed out on the NCAA the past two years.

With Hao Sheng in singles, the Bulls concluded their MAC regular season with a perfect 7-0 record against other regional institutions, becoming the first MAC team to do so in league play since Ball State in 1999.

However, in the first round of the NCAA, they lost to Texas A&M team 4-0 but their escapades didn’t go unnoticed.

Four players earned All-MAC honours, the most of any school in the league while their coach, Lee Nickell, won MAC Coach of The Year honours for the third time after doing so in 2010 and 2015.

Hao Sheng ended the season with a 20-11 singles record and 6-5 doubles record and was named to the All-MAC First Team while compatriots Vidit Vaghela, Filip Grbic and Villhelm Fridell earned All-MAC Second Team honours.

“It was a pleasant surprise. I just wanted to do my best and focus on getting us a win,” said Hao Sheng.

“The level of competition is extremely high and I had lots of close matches which went my way.

“If you asked me how we managed to punch above our weight I’d say it came down to the close bond we share.

“There are some great personalities who motivate, nurture and, most importantly, look out for each other.”

The SEA Games could not have come at a better time as it’s summer break in America. Hao Sheng is in Malaysia preparing to participate in his first SEA Games.

He and the Malaysian team recently returned from Davis Cup duties in Sri Lanka and their focus is on KL2017.

“It’s always good to represent your country and to play at home,” said Hao Sheng.

“Thailand and Indonesia will be the ones to watch.

“We have not decided on our line-up but whichever format they choose to put me in I’ll play. Our best chance for a medal would be in doubles.”

Tennis offers five gold medals — men and women’s singles, doubles and mixed doubles.

The competition at National Tennis Centre in Jalan Duta is from August 21 to 26.