Hafiz downs compatriots to reach last eight in Taiwan
Top News 9:03 AM
PETALING JAYA: Mohd Hafiz Hashim is the only Malaysian men’s
singles shuttler left standing in the Taiwan Open.
Yesterday, the seventh-seeded Hafiz, who is eyeing a timely boost ahead of the World Championships in Paris, won both his second and third round matches against his compatriots to reach the quarter-finals.
In the second round, he overcame back-up shuttler Mohd Arif Abdul Latif 21-9, 16-21, 21-16 to set up a third round meeting against Chong Wei Feng.
Hafiz had no problems taking down Wei Feng 21-12, 22-20.
Today, he will take on top seed Nguyen Tien Minh of Vietnam for a place in the semi-finals and a win will put him in good stead going into the world meet, which will be held in Paris from Aug 23-29.
Chan Kwong Beng, meanwhile, blew hot and cold yesterday.
He stole the show with a stunning 57-minute 22-20, 7-21, 21-16 win over fourth seed Boonsak Ponsana of Thailand in the second round.
It was Kwong Beng’s first ever win over a top player.
But all his efforts were in vain when he crashed to a 17-21, 17-21 loss to Indonesian youngster Dionysius Hayom Rumbaka.
Kwong Beng had mixed feelings about his topsy-turvy performance yesterday.
“I was feeling good after my win over Boonsak. Unfortunately, I could not keep up with Dionysius. He played really well and I lost control of the game,” said Kwong Beng in a telephone interview.
“Overall, I am happy but there is still room for improvement. I need to be more confident of myself.”
Meanwhile, Koo Kien Keat-Tan Boon Heong justified their billing as the top seeds in the World Championships when they cruised into the quarter-finals with an effortless 21-12, 21-7 win over New Zealand’s Ross Smith-Glenn Warfe. Yesterday, the Badminton World Federation (BWF) released the seedings of the players for the world meet based on the Aug 5 world rankings.
In today’s quarter-finals, Kien Keat-Boon Heong will take on Indonesians Luluk Hadiyanto-Candra Wijaya while veterans Choong Tan Fook-Lee Wan Wah will meet Singapore Open and Indonesian Open champions Fang Chieh-min-Lee Sheng-mu of Taiwan.
Top women’s doubles pair Chin Eei Hui-Wong Pei Tty have set up a meeting with Japan’s Eto Rie-Wakita Yu for a place in the semi-finals.
Yesterday, the seventh-seeded Hafiz, who is eyeing a timely boost ahead of the World Championships in Paris, won both his second and third round matches against his compatriots to reach the quarter-finals.
In the second round, he overcame back-up shuttler Mohd Arif Abdul Latif 21-9, 16-21, 21-16 to set up a third round meeting against Chong Wei Feng.
Hafiz had no problems taking down Wei Feng 21-12, 22-20.
Today, he will take on top seed Nguyen Tien Minh of Vietnam for a place in the semi-finals and a win will put him in good stead going into the world meet, which will be held in Paris from Aug 23-29.
Chan Kwong Beng, meanwhile, blew hot and cold yesterday.
He stole the show with a stunning 57-minute 22-20, 7-21, 21-16 win over fourth seed Boonsak Ponsana of Thailand in the second round.
It was Kwong Beng’s first ever win over a top player.
But all his efforts were in vain when he crashed to a 17-21, 17-21 loss to Indonesian youngster Dionysius Hayom Rumbaka.
Kwong Beng had mixed feelings about his topsy-turvy performance yesterday.
“I was feeling good after my win over Boonsak. Unfortunately, I could not keep up with Dionysius. He played really well and I lost control of the game,” said Kwong Beng in a telephone interview.
“Overall, I am happy but there is still room for improvement. I need to be more confident of myself.”
Meanwhile, Koo Kien Keat-Tan Boon Heong justified their billing as the top seeds in the World Championships when they cruised into the quarter-finals with an effortless 21-12, 21-7 win over New Zealand’s Ross Smith-Glenn Warfe. Yesterday, the Badminton World Federation (BWF) released the seedings of the players for the world meet based on the Aug 5 world rankings.
In today’s quarter-finals, Kien Keat-Boon Heong will take on Indonesians Luluk Hadiyanto-Candra Wijaya while veterans Choong Tan Fook-Lee Wan Wah will meet Singapore Open and Indonesian Open champions Fang Chieh-min-Lee Sheng-mu of Taiwan.
Top women’s doubles pair Chin Eei Hui-Wong Pei Tty have set up a meeting with Japan’s Eto Rie-Wakita Yu for a place in the semi-finals.
Posted by Lucas Liau
on 9:03 AM.
Filed under
