Hafiz downs Jonassen for second straight Open title

Discussion in 'Thailand Open / Japan Open 2005' started by ants, Apr 3, 2005.

  1. ants

    ants Regular Member

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    BANGKOK: Malaysia's Mohd Hafiz Hashim smashed his way to his second consecutive Open title when he outwitted top seed Kenneth Jonassen of Denmark to win the US$80,000 Thailand Open men's singles crown here yesterday.

    The 23-year-old Hafiz took an hour to overcome a gritty Jonassen before winning 15-13, 15-13 in a power packed final to pocket US$6,400 (RM24,320).

    It was also the first time Hafiz had beaten Jonassen. He lost to the 31-year-old Dane in the third round of the Korean Open this year (5-15, 11-15) and in the semi-final of last November's Singapore Open (11-15, 15-11, 11-15).

    It was the Malaysian's second international Grand Prix title in a month. He had defeated Denmark's Peter Gade-Christensen to win the Swiss Open title just two weeks ago.

    “I am just feeling very happy at this moment. I have won my second Open title. It was not an easy win,†said a thrilled Hafiz in a telephone interview from Bangkok.


    ON A ROLL: Malaysia’s Hafiz Hashim played his heart out to beat Dane Kenneth Jonassen for the first time en route to the Thailand Open men’s singles title in Bangkok.
    “I have beaten two players for the first time here and for me, this is very satisfying,†said Hafiz, who had also defeated Ronald Susilo of Singapore for the first time in their four meetings during the semi-final on Saturday.

    With the win yesterday, Hafiz became the second Malaysian to win the Thai Open after Yong Hock Kin's feat in 2001.

    And he can now look forward to making it to the top eight bracket in the world rankings for the first time in his badminton career. He is currently ranked ninth in the world.

    Despite trailing on several occasions, Hafiz said he was confident throughout the match against Jonassen yesterday.

    “I have lost twice to him. I know he is a fighter and his defence is solid but all I wanted to do is to beat him. There was no pressure,†said the lanky shuttler.

    Both were locked in a tight first game and were tied at 6-6, 8-8, 11-11 before Hafiz displayed some brilliant smashes and deceptive shots to win 15-13. In the second game, Hafiz stormed back from 6-12 to romp home for victory.

    “I was down at 6-12 but I never gave up. I knew I had my chances and I just psyche myself up to narrow the gap and went on to win. This is a great. Now, I will look forward to the Japan Open (starting on Wednesday in Tokyo) with more confidence.â€

    His coach Misbun Sidek was obviously a very happy man.

    “After losing at the Korean Open, Hafiz has worked very diligently on improving his weaknesses. Today, he played the right tactical game to beat Kenneth. He played his heart out there today and I am very pleased,†said Misbun.

    “He is getting more focused and showing maturity in his game. He is certainly back on the right track,†said Misbun, who left for Tokyo with the Malaysian team yesterday.

    Meanwhile, South Korea were the big winners in the three-star tournament yesterday. In the men's doubles final, Jung Jae-sung-Lee Jae-jin defeated top seeds Jonas Rasmussen-Lars Passke of Denmark 15-11, 15-5 to win their first international title while in the women's doubles, Lee Hyo-jung-Lee Kyung-won, played for one hour and 50 minutes to beat a gutsy Chinese pair Zhang Dan-Zhang Yawen, 9-15, 15-11, 15-13.

    Their mixed doubles pair of Lee Jae-jin and Lee Hyo-jung downed Danes Thomas Laybourn and Kamilla Rytter Juhl 15-12, 15-12.



    RESULTS


    Men's singles: Mohd Hafiz Hashim (Mas) bt Kenneth Jonassen (Den) 15-13, 15-13

    Men's doubles: Jung Jae-sung-Lee Jae-jin (Kor) bt Jonas Rasmussem-Lars Paaske (Den) 15-11, 15-5.

    Women's singles: Yao Jie (Ned) bt Xu Huaiwen (Ger) 11-6, 11-7

    Women's doubles: Lee Hyo-jung-Lee Kyung-won (Kor) bt Zhang Dan-Zhang Yawen (Chn) 9-15, 15-11, 15-13.

    Mixed doubles: Lee Jae-jin-Lee Hyo-jung (Kor) bt Thomas Laybourn-Kamilla Rytter Juhl (Den) 15-12, 15-12.
     

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