ants
10-11-2004, 09:21 PM
TheStar
KUALA LUMPUR: Mohd Hafiz Hashim recovered from the brink of defeat to oust national number shuttler Wong Choong Hann yet again and set-up a mouth-watering final encounter with top seed Lee Chong Wei in the Selangor Open last night.
The battling 22-year-old Hafiz toiled for 90 minutes to dispose of favourite Choong Hann 15-7, 16-17, 15-13 at the packed and stifling SBA Hall in Kampung Attap here.
It was Hafiz's second consecutive win over Choong Hann. He had also beaten the national top shuttler in the Malacca Open semi-finals last month.
Mohd Hafiz Hashim thanks the crowd after beating top seed Wong Choong Hann 15-7, 16-17, 15-13 in the semi-finals of the Selangor Open on Monday.
The semi-final match saw Hafiz making remarkable comebacks in the deciding rubber.
All seemed lost when Hafiz was trailing at 0-7 and 8-13 but with his stinging smashes, he chased every point and kept the fans on the edge of the seats. In the end, Choong Hann was caught by the fired up Hafiz.
But a relieved Hafiz was still unhappy, lamenting his failure in winning the tie in straight games.
“I was leading in the second game 16-14 but I threw away three straight points after sending the shuttle out. It was such a waste,” he said.
“Then, everything looked bad for me when I trailed 0-7. But I did not give up hope and kept telling myself to pick up the pace. I am glad I got the better of him again.”
On his final match against Chong Wei: “I lost to him in the final of the Malacca Open. He is better than me skill wise but I will try to get the better of him. I have never won a local senior title and I think, I have the best chance to make it happen this time.”
Luck was certainly not on Choong Hann's side yesterday. And poor line calls did not help his cause either.
“I was so frustrated with some of the calls by the linesmen. I even brought it up to the umpire but it fell on deaf ears,” he lamented.
“I got stuck at 13 and wasted eight services. I think, luck was not on my side. A shuttle flew in from the adjacent court that stopped play when we were tied at 13-13 and I could have won a point then. There was a possibility of winning the match.
“But I am not disappointed with my game. My game did not lack quality and I knew I gave everything I had. Hafiz just played better.”
The 22-year-old Chong Wei, who aims to keep his unbeaten streak at the local scene intact since winning the 2002 GP Finals, ended the gallant run of Ismail Saman with an easy 15-1, 15-11 win in another semi-finals.
He took just 10 minutes to blow away Ismail in the first game. In the second, they were locked in a close tussle but Chong Wei eventually pulled away for the win.
“I was confident of beating Ismail. He gave a fight in the second game but I was not rattled at all. I knew I had him from the first game,” said Chong Wei.
On the final match dubbed as the battle among the future top players of the country, Chong Wei does not want to be over confident.
“Hafiz is playing well. He is an aggressive player. But I will try to trap him with my deception. I beat him in Malacca and I will be out to continue my winning ways in the local tournaments,” he added.
In the women's singles, Sabahan Amelia Anscelly continued her good run when she upset reigning national champion and second seed Julia Wong 9-11, 11-8, 11-9 to set-up a showdown with top seed Woon Sze Mei.
Meanwhile, Choong Tan Fook-Lee Wan Wah conceded their men’s doubles semi-final match after Wan Wah sustained a knee injury.
The pair was leading 15-6, 5-4 against second seed Tan Bin Shen-Ong Soon Hock when the problem occurred.
“I felt a sudden pain and my movement was affected. I did not want to take the risk,” said Wan Wah.
His fear is understandable as he was out of action for five-month after lowing an operation on his nagging knee problem last year.
KUALA LUMPUR: Mohd Hafiz Hashim recovered from the brink of defeat to oust national number shuttler Wong Choong Hann yet again and set-up a mouth-watering final encounter with top seed Lee Chong Wei in the Selangor Open last night.
The battling 22-year-old Hafiz toiled for 90 minutes to dispose of favourite Choong Hann 15-7, 16-17, 15-13 at the packed and stifling SBA Hall in Kampung Attap here.
It was Hafiz's second consecutive win over Choong Hann. He had also beaten the national top shuttler in the Malacca Open semi-finals last month.
Mohd Hafiz Hashim thanks the crowd after beating top seed Wong Choong Hann 15-7, 16-17, 15-13 in the semi-finals of the Selangor Open on Monday.
The semi-final match saw Hafiz making remarkable comebacks in the deciding rubber.
All seemed lost when Hafiz was trailing at 0-7 and 8-13 but with his stinging smashes, he chased every point and kept the fans on the edge of the seats. In the end, Choong Hann was caught by the fired up Hafiz.
But a relieved Hafiz was still unhappy, lamenting his failure in winning the tie in straight games.
“I was leading in the second game 16-14 but I threw away three straight points after sending the shuttle out. It was such a waste,” he said.
“Then, everything looked bad for me when I trailed 0-7. But I did not give up hope and kept telling myself to pick up the pace. I am glad I got the better of him again.”
On his final match against Chong Wei: “I lost to him in the final of the Malacca Open. He is better than me skill wise but I will try to get the better of him. I have never won a local senior title and I think, I have the best chance to make it happen this time.”
Luck was certainly not on Choong Hann's side yesterday. And poor line calls did not help his cause either.
“I was so frustrated with some of the calls by the linesmen. I even brought it up to the umpire but it fell on deaf ears,” he lamented.
“I got stuck at 13 and wasted eight services. I think, luck was not on my side. A shuttle flew in from the adjacent court that stopped play when we were tied at 13-13 and I could have won a point then. There was a possibility of winning the match.
“But I am not disappointed with my game. My game did not lack quality and I knew I gave everything I had. Hafiz just played better.”
The 22-year-old Chong Wei, who aims to keep his unbeaten streak at the local scene intact since winning the 2002 GP Finals, ended the gallant run of Ismail Saman with an easy 15-1, 15-11 win in another semi-finals.
He took just 10 minutes to blow away Ismail in the first game. In the second, they were locked in a close tussle but Chong Wei eventually pulled away for the win.
“I was confident of beating Ismail. He gave a fight in the second game but I was not rattled at all. I knew I had him from the first game,” said Chong Wei.
On the final match dubbed as the battle among the future top players of the country, Chong Wei does not want to be over confident.
“Hafiz is playing well. He is an aggressive player. But I will try to trap him with my deception. I beat him in Malacca and I will be out to continue my winning ways in the local tournaments,” he added.
In the women's singles, Sabahan Amelia Anscelly continued her good run when she upset reigning national champion and second seed Julia Wong 9-11, 11-8, 11-9 to set-up a showdown with top seed Woon Sze Mei.
Meanwhile, Choong Tan Fook-Lee Wan Wah conceded their men’s doubles semi-final match after Wan Wah sustained a knee injury.
The pair was leading 15-6, 5-4 against second seed Tan Bin Shen-Ong Soon Hock when the problem occurred.
“I felt a sudden pain and my movement was affected. I did not want to take the risk,” said Wan Wah.
His fear is understandable as he was out of action for five-month after lowing an operation on his nagging knee problem last year.