Badminton: Hafiz makes an early exit
By RAJES PAUL
PETALING JAYA: National number two Mohd Hafiz Hashim suffered a big blow to his morale ahead of the World Championships next month. He was beaten by a Russian shuttler in the second round of the Philippines Open in Manila yesterday.
Hafiz, who was the defending champion, squandered a 20-16 lead in the second game and went down to a 21-13, 21-23, 13-21 defeat by Stanislav Pukhov.
With the defeat, Hafiz will suffer a further slide in the world rankings from number 13 and he can forget about getting a seeding for the World Championships, which will be held at the Putra Stadium in Bukit Jalil from Aug 13-19.
Second seed Lee Chong Wei, Chan Kwong Beng, Sairul Amar Ayob and Lee Tsuen Seng won their second round matches. But only Chong Wei advanced with a 21-12, 21-16 win over England’s Andrew Smith in the third round and he will play against China’s Gong Weijie today for a place in the semi-finals.
Hafiz was not the only major casualty in yesterday’s action. Olympic champion Taufik Hidayat of Indonesia and China’s Bao Chunlai were also shown the exit.
Vietnamese Tien Minh Nguyen beat Taufik 21-18, 21-13 in the second round while Chunlai was sent packing in the third round by Singaporean Ronald Susilo, losing 14-21, 8-21.
After seeing Hafiz dish out another poor performance, coach Misbun Sidek said that he had lowered his expectations on the player for the World Championships.
“I get headaches just thinking about Hafiz. He led 20-16 but lost ... he was over confident. The Russian gained confidence in the rubber game and Hafiz simply could not turn the game around,” said Misbun in a telephone interview from Manila.
“I am really upset with Hafiz. I am trying my best to help him but he is not helping himself. He is not injured and his physical condition is good. The world meet is just around the corner and, based on his current form, I am not expecting anything from him in the championships.”
In the men’s doubles, top seeds Koo Kien Keat and Tan Boon Heong are the only Malaysian pair left in contention for the title. They scored a convincing 21-8, 21-14 win over Denmark’s Rasmus Mangor Andersen-Peter Buur Steffensen in the second round and will take on Indonesians Rian Sukmawan-Yonathan Suryatama Dasuki in the quarter-finals.

hafiz is just too lazy. There is nth misbun can do about....

wow, if even misbun looks like giving up on hafiz, i dont think the rest of malaysia will have anymore faith in him. he has been in a terrible slump for so long. maybe someone should brainwash him and get him to think about winning again and not just participating for the sake of it. i want to have faith in him, i really do. :(

Mishun is having headache? OK... roger... I'll buy a box of panadols for him :D

Mishun is having headache? OK... roger... I'll buy a box of panadols for him :D

ya.. a red one. Misbun needs 1000 mg paracethamol :D :D

In what year Hafiz won the AE Championship? Year 2004 rite? He is slump after that. 3 years.. man.. how long more can u wait.. i think he is hopeless.. maybe he need to find others job..

In what year Hafiz won the AE Championship? Year 2004 rite? He is slump after that. 3 years.. man.. how long more can u wait.. i think he is hopeless.. maybe he need to find others job..

I think Hafiz is 2003 AE winner. His morale is continuously decreasing...

2003? Worst still !!

I think Hafiz is 2003 AE winner. His morale is continuously decreasing...

A countless of motivation class/camp they had attended. Just recently they had one in Sarawak or Sabah(not sure) for MS. And MD Rexy brought them Melaka... But, what Hafiz learn from these camp. An "egg"! Zero !! Nothing at all.. He is really in Big trouble !!!

wow, if even misbun looks like giving up on hafiz, i dont think the rest of malaysia will have anymore faith in him. he has been in a terrible slump for so long. maybe someone should brainwash him and get him to think about winning again and not just participating for the sake of it. i want to have faith in him, i really do. :(

hafiz is disappointing....his place shub be replaced by arif abdul latif

two words, time's up....

As much as Hafiz is good potentially, he always bombs up during tournaments... Good player, but time is running out...

out you go....out out out..........but then no more malay single players adee....all dominated by chinese

I think Hafiz is 2003 AE winner. His morale is continuously decreasing...

and..never hit the bottom...and never rebounce....:mad:.....or maybe he is trying to learn from TH...just to concentrate for the big tournament like WC07....he will shine...dont worry...he will...........just wait...and wait....wait.....wa....w.....z..z...zzzzzzzzzzzz

and..never hit the bottom...and never rebounce....:mad:.....or maybe he is trying to learn from TH...just to concentrate for the big tournament like WC07....he will shine...dont worry...he will...........just wait...and wait....wait.....wa....w.....z..z...zzzzzzzzzzzz

HH definitely wont shine at ALL at WC07.. Trust me... He will probably suffer another early round exists to an lesser known players !

there's nothing to worry about
there are still many other youngsters i.e. TCS, CKB, Arif....doing better n better.....
for Hafiz, at least he won the 2003 AE championship, better than nothing to those other players like LTS, Yogan...KBH.... n even PEI WEI CHUNG (in fact i don't know why he participated almost all tournaments but NEVER REACHED THE 2ND ROUND.....)

I laughed when i read about the headache part... :p

Someone sent me this clip of Hafiz... call him whatever now.. but, geez.. he was good then. I won't say he's a bad player.. but.. guess there's something bothering him.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cP1aGxMRE-s

For those who didn't know, that song at the background is called 'Standing in the Eyes of the World' by Ella (Malaysian Rock Queen) - song written esp for Commonwealth Games 1998. Very good lyrics. For those who dunno Malay, here's the English lyrics, which I think is incomplete with some words missing (English version is by David Gates) - after which... you'll be so inspired.. that you want to grab your racquet and go give your best shot... :p


Looking back all the years
all the sacrifice
if you wanna be the best
you've got to pay the price
learning from the very start
just how hard you must try
coz if you don't spread your wings
then you can't fly

look at where you are today
did you ever think that you
would came all this way

# now you're standing in
the eyes of the world
only moments somewhere
from what can be
theres a passion in the
hearts of.....
ever waiting inside to be set free

when the times come
and your spirit takes ....
and you reach into your soul and
leave it with all of your mind

and theres no surprise
that you're standing in the eyes
of the world

many had hopes and dreams
that would not come true
and all of them left behind
now they will leaving you
everyone wants to say
just the day in the sun
sometimes theres only ...
never ever been so near
now the chance thats finally here

repeat #

and everyone tries
when you standing in
the eyes of the world

standing in the
eyes of the world

I think in times like these, I do prefer taufik-ist, or indra, who are true fans till the end, lose or win, of Taufik Hidayat.

-dave

Haha.. JC, I laughed when reading about that headache thingy too..
Err, they spelled CHENG Hong instead of Chen Hong in that video..
After watching the video, people will pity Hafiz even more..

sigh.. hafiz is simply inconsistent... sometimes he perform well but most of the time he was outbeaten by unknown players... i really think tat he should retire n give away his place to a better n more consistent player.. should give WCH a chance at WC rather then hafiz..

sigh.. hafiz is simply inconsistent... sometimes he perform well but most of the time he was outbeaten by unknown players... i really think tat he should retire n give away his place to a better n more consistent player.. should give WCH a chance at WC rather then hafiz..

Actually Hafiz has been quite consistent in term of losing, he hardly advance deep into the round like he used to. They say consistency is good but I hope Hafiz don't continue his consistency trend of losing, so discouraging to his fan and coach.

I think Hafiz will call it quits if he does not win one soon, and the headache may be over. Having said that, I hope he will not and try to work harder to achieving a comeback. One thing is very noticeable, he must conquer his total lack of fitness. LCW has put in the mileage, Hafiz needs to do the same. Just playing badminton is not enough. Hope he realises that before it is too late --- consult Nicol David coz she has got it worked out as World's No 1 Squash Champion. I understand the training is very tough for her but that is what puts her ahead of everybody else. Hafiz, get on that bicycle and go for your life ! No more videos !

Hafiz is juz suckssss... even russian player oso cannot win??? SUCKKS! i think Hafiz shall play for country like africa or vietnam... nguyen tien minh oso better than him... he is not deserved to be MAS number 2... at least give lee tsuan seng or WCH to be... once again hafiz is sucks!!!

After watching youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cP1aGxMRE-s
It seems back then, the pace of play was slower compared to today. Looking at Chen Hong's defense against Hafiz's smashes, you can tell the speed is no way matching those coming from LD, LCW, TH, ...today. My guess is Hafiz is not able to keep up with the change.

why no one is talking bout Asian Junior Championship in KL??? we have lots of talented youngsters there

yeah exactly... i think hafiz place in the national team will be replace by arif latif soon.. arif did quite well in AJC.. hope he do well in senior level too..

Yes, He should've just quit. And if he wants to continue playing, continue under KLRC.

yeah exactly... i think hafiz place in the national team will be replace by arif latif soon.. arif did quite well in AJC.. hope he do well in senior level too..

Arif Latif has huge potential. I predict he is the 'next generation' after LCW.

I still think that hafiz deserves credit for winning AE 03. In fact, there is no Malaysian MS has won anything bigger than AE since Tan AIk Huang. Almost 40 years of wait!!!!! WCH could only managed to become runner up in world championship and rashid and ong ewe hock also ended up as runner up in AE.

Lee Chong Wei also need to win something big like AE, WC or Olympic. If not, i would say that hafiz has a more successful career than him.

Well,winning the All England indeed is sucess for him but his failure is he can't improve after winning it.I feel that he still in his dream land about his win in the All England 2003.We need to forget the past and keep improving because other people also continue to improve.You cannot always thinks that you are the best.Just go and watch his recent game,i am so frustrated not because of his losing but with his attitude on court.He is so lazy and don't have fighting spirit at all.He doesn't treat it as a competition.If one player tried his best to save every point but he still end up with losing,i won't blame him and i will give credit to him.He letting us down once and once again,i really have no more patient in him.

i watched the clip at youtube. i think hafiz was very good then. it's a pity!

i think Misbun should show this clip to hafiz. i hope hafiz will feel ashame of himself.

"STANDING IN THE EYES OF THE WORLD WOR!:crying:"

when i watch the clip i feel proud to have a malaysian winning such a big title like AE.. but when i watch hafiz recent games, i feel tat it is such a humiliating defeat for us especially when he lost to unseeded players.. buck up hafiz n roslin if not out u go!!

I think Misbun already has cancer in his head.

Misbun does not have to worry too much about Hafiz. If the guy does not come good, he cannot be blamed coz he has done his best. At the end of the day, the player has to step up NOT the coach.

Misbun moves on to other players too -- e.g. Chan Kwong Beng, another potential LCW in the future.

It is strange how fortunes turn around. Now we have even young Arif showing potential, albeit a bit raw but certainly capable of being groomed further (give him more experience on the circuit).

Anyway, the thrill will be watching LCW win the WC.

Coach Misbun ready to dump Hafiz unless newly-wed performs
By LIM TEIK HUAT
KUALA LUMPUR: Buck up or ship out. That is the stern warning from national singles badminton coach Misbun Sidek to singles shuttler Mohd Hafiz Hashim.
Misbun will no longer be protective and will not hesitate to leave him out of the major meets, including the all-important Beijing Olympics next year if his charge continues to under-perform in international tournaments.
Hafiz has not been making much of an impact on the world badminton scene since he won the All-England title in 2003 and his game has been going downhill for most of this year.
The latest low point came when Hafiz, as the defending champion, fell to a shocking 21-13, 21-23, 13-21 defeat by unknown Russian Stanislav Pukhov.
The 25-year-old Hafiz also went down tamely to Thailand’s Boonsak Ponsana in the second round of the preceding China Masters.
Hafiz, who tied the knot two months ago, has now slide further down the world rankings and is ranked 16th, one rung behind veteran Wong Choong Hann.
Another of Misbun’s charge, national number one Lee Chong Wei, is ranked third after winning the Philippines Open title last week.
If Hafiz’s latest defeat to the Russian in the Philippines Open is any indication, there is little Misbun can do to help resurrect his career.
“I have tried everything there is but he is still producing inconsistent results.
“As his coach, I will not be giving up but he cannot expect a nice ride. There are many juniors eager to come up and if they have the results, I will consider them if it comes to that point.
“The problem with Hafiz is he has been struggling under the 21-point scoring system.
“Hafiz must start to realise that he cannot rely on skills alone. There have been many occasions when the opponent knows his game and can switch the tactics to catch Hafiz off-guard in the deciding game. Hafiz is unable to turn the game around when he finds himself in trouble,” said Misbun.
Hafiz has often fared well in training but fell short of expectations. With many juniors like Chan Kwong Beng and Tan Chun Seang eager to prove a point, Misbun said the onus is on Hafiz to take the initiative to come out of the rut.
While Hafiz’s services may still be useful when it comes to team assignments like the Thomas Cup, the Olympics will be a different matter altogether. For the Olympics, a country can only have two representatives if both are ranked inside the top 16 by the end of the qualifying period in May.
“I will only see the performance from the results so far. No matter what, Hafiz has to qualify for the Olympics but if there are others also fighting for that one spot, then it will be up to the best contender,” said Misbun.
Hafiz is one of the four Malaysian men’s singles players for the World Championships to be held here from Aug 13-19 but Misbun is not putting high hopes on him.
“I am not expecting anything from Hafiz. His physical condition is okay but from the way he is playing, it’s better not to raise hopes.”

Misbun will not give up on Hafiz..:)

Well we should not underestimate Hafiz's ability even though he has been showing alot of inconsistency. Like what Misbun said.. its all up to Hafiz. Well you never know.. maybe Hafiz is aiming for better results in WC KL.

I hope so. hafiz is still young...well relatively younger. :D would be a shame if his journey as a pro players ends now. i can't believe that the all england that he won was the peak of his career and that he will never reach another peak again. but i think it is fair that if he can't perform, that other players be given the chance to shine. especially the younger generation. maybe he needs to be at rock bottom before he will have the motivation to swim to the surface again. lets see what he can do at the WC2007. :)

ONLY If u believe in miracle ....

Well we should not underestimate Hafiz's ability even though he has been showing alot of inconsistency. Like what Misbun said.. its all up to Hafiz. Well you never know.. maybe Hafiz is aiming for better results in WC KL.

ONLY If u believe in miracle ....

With Hafiz it is a case of the mind is willing but the body is not. What he needs to do is get his mind to control the body better.:D In other words, do the pushups and the 10K run everyday before the WC.


But I would not rule him out, his mind might just be strong enough to push his body this time. I have seen hypnotism at work before and it works.

Yeah.. hope Hafiz will bounce back. He may be the dark House of this event. No pressure as all fans and media is focusing on LCW,Lindan and Taufik.