See main article: 2011 Proton Malaysian Open.
See also: 2011 Proton Malaysian Open – Singles Qualifying. Mikhail Youzhny was the defending champion but decided not to participate.
3rd seed Janko Tipsarević defeated Marcos Baghdatis 6–4, 7–5 to win his first ATP title in his fifth attempt.
The top four seeds received a bye into the second round.