It’s not a bad result to finish runners-up, says Zakry Abdul Latif – Badminton News
Men’s Doubles expert Mohd Zakry Abdul Latif of Malaysia is satisfied that they have successfully registered their presence by making into top two teams of the SCG Thailand Open.
The Grand Prix Gold event got concluded on Sunday, June 10 and Malaysian pair of Mohd Fairuzizuan Mohd Tazari-Mohd Zakry Abdul Latif landed on second spot on victory stand.
In the title match, they could not continue their successful run against top ranked Chinese pair Liu Xiaolong-Qiu Zihan and surrendered after reading 21-18 and 21-19 score after two games.
Both partners left Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) last year and joined Kuala Lumpur Racket Club (KLRC) but they have been struggling to make a strong impact as independent shuttlers.
Thailand Open was a good chance to end their long streak of failures and they took great start but could not finish this race in desired manner.
Though, the 29-year-old partner of the duo Mohd Zakry showed disappointment over their recent outing but still he looked positive that this will fetch the best for them in coming days.
He said, “It’s definitely disappointing to lose after coming so close. We were hungry to win our first title since reuniting as a pair. Still, it’s not a bad result to finish runners-up as it’ll move us up the rankings.”
World Number 47 duo Fairuzizuan-Zakry earned the right to be in the title match by overpowering seasoned compatriot duo Hoon Thien How-Tan Wee Kiong in the semi-finals but they got pale against higher ranked competitors of China.
They came under huge pressure after losing first game with 21-18 and then could not lift this burden in following game also as they knelt down after reading 21-19 score on the board.
Malaysian campaigner Mohd Zakry admitted that they could not react according to the changing circumstances and then failure to understand their opponents’ strategy triggered the collapse.
He said, “Overall, we played well but it was our first time on that court and we failed to adapt. Plus, it was hard to read the China pair’s game.”
However, both Men’s Doubles experts vowed that they will revive their old status in the arena by consistently performing in international tournaments.
For the record, they have won three international titles in the past including Indonesia and Singapore Open in 2008 and 2010 India Open GP Gold.
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