"Losing To My Own Brother Is More Painful" - Hafiz From Zulhilmi Supaat BIRMINGHAM, July 31 (Bernama) -- "I am sad to lose to my own brother in this seven-star championship. If it were any other player, it might not feel so terrible." These were the heartfelt words of All England champion Muhammad Hafiz Hashim who lost to Mohd Roslin in the second round of the 13th World Badminton Championship at the National Indoor Arena here Wednesday. In an emotionally-charged game, Hafiz allowed his elder brother to rack up points for a straight-set 15-11, 15-8 win in only 42 minutes. However, the Commonwealth Games gold medallist denied that he made things easy for his brother. "Roslin played really well in the game and managed to influence me to follow his rhythm. I admit this is the best display by Roslin, even better than the All England championship in February," he told reporters here. The Nusa Mahsuri shuttler also dismissed rumours that he was ordered to lose to give Roslin a chance at the world title after he himself had conquered the All England. "There was no order or compromise. Roslin and I had never discussed Wednesday's match. As professionals, there is no brotherly sentiment on the court. Each is seeking a win to proceed to the next round," he said. Roslin, however, had a different take on his win as he said: "Maybe Hafiz gave me a chance. He was well below his actual game. This was clear in the second set when it seemed as if he intentionally made mistakes to allow me the room to get points". Roslin said Hafiz should not have given in to his emotions and instead, given it his all. "Personally I feel Hafiz has a better chance if he had not given me the win Wednesday. In fact, deep down inside, I believe Hafiz could be the champion of this tournament. But this has happened. Now it is my responsibility to do my best," Roslin said. Roslin meets 8th seed Lee Hyun Il from South Korea Thursday while 9th seed Wong Choong Hann faces 4th seed Anders Boesen from Denmark and first doubles pair Chan Chong Ming/Chew Choon Eng goes against Indonesia's Alven Yulianto/Luluk Hadiyanto. Meanwhile, national chief coach Misbun Sidek also denied compromises or instructions to the brothers in favour of one or the other. "Hafiz fell to a player better than himself in the game. It was a coincidence that his second round opponent was his brother. "They know each other's weaknesses. Hafiz's failing was that he fell into the rhythm of Roslin, who likes to defend compared to executing smashes. Hafiz should have followed the beat of his own drum. He is a killer and likes to end his opponent's service quickly," Misbun said.
