2012 Malaysia International Challenge: Another disappointment for Hafiz Hashim – Badminton Feature
Malaysia’s veteran shuttler Hafiz Hashim has been struggling to revive his lost form for the last couple of years as he failed to bag even a single international title. It seems bad luck still haunts him as he failed to end this long streak of failures in
2012 Maybank Malaysia International Challenge.
The Men’s Singles maestro was hot favourite for this title as he had a huge support of local crowd but he disappointed his fans by squandering a golden chance to claim the trophy in the home event.
Hafiz Hashim, who has trickled down at 41st spot in the World ranking, was supposed to have a smooth run to victory as he was up against relatively lower ranked shuttlers. He took a great start and looked in strong position to secure the top spot
on victory stand but he failed to continue his unbeatable run in the final round.
The former All England Champion locked horns with an unknown player Akbar Panji of Indonesia. Though, he managed to seal the victory but his fluctuated performance kept him busy on the court for three gruelling sets.
This timely win took him into the second round of this tournament where he was scheduled to meet Abhimanyu Singh of India. This time Hashim did not repeat previous mistakes and employed his valuable experience in game to oust the opponent.
He made his intentions clear straight away in the beginning of first set and kept the bird under control until last shot was played. The Indian youngster was no comparison to the maestro and knelt down after resisting for just 15 minutes.
In the pre quarter-final round, Hashim found a compatriot shuttler Kuan Beng Hong against him. He did not show mercy and wrapped this showdown in just two games. He utilised unusual tactics and confounded his challenger with a dazzling performance.
However, it was not an easy win as he had to put an extra effort to overpower young Beng Hong throughout this 40-minute tussle.
Hashim, who holds the pride of winning a gold medal in 2010 Commonwealth Games, tested his skills against Andre Marteen in the quarter-finals. He proved himself superior by coming back from a horrendous start and locked the honour in a splendid manner.
The Indonesian campaigner could pocket only the opening match point and bid farewell to this International Challenge after losing ending two games.
On the other hand, Hashim secured a semi-final berth with such an emphatic performance. His next competitor was another Malaysian player Chan Kwong Beng who was in high spirits after remaining invincible in the preliminary rounds.
Both contenders put all in their possession to save the honour but finally Hafiz Hashim remained victorious. He served notice of his supremacy with an impressive 2-0 win and qualified for the title match.
The critics were giving him better odds as his challenger was a lower ranked Indonesian shuttler Wisnu Yuli Prasetyo but he proved all the predictions wrong. Hafiz Hashim frittered away his effort in the final moments and drew a blank from Maybank Malaysia
International Challenge.
This recent failure brought him under fire and now badminton critics have started advising the seasoned shuttler to hang up racket. Now when he is 30-years-old, it will be an uphill task for Hashim to regain his status in the badminton world.
The views expressed in this article are the writer's own and in no way represent Bettor.com's official editorial policy.
Tags: