Malaysia’s Mohd Arif Abdul Latif confident to perform well in the Thailand Open Grand Prix Gold
Malaysia’s Men’s Singles back-up shuttler, Mohd Arif Abdul Latif, is confident to perform well in the upcoming event of the Thailand Open Grand Prix Gold 2011, which will kick-off in Bangkok, Thailand, from June 7-12.
Arif, who has been struggling hard to find good form for the last few years, has still not achieved his best in the game. He will face World Number Four shuttler, Chen Long of China, who will be the top seed in the Thailand Open.
Malaysia played against the Chinese in the final of the 2007 Asian Junior Championships, where Chen Long emerged as the winner of the title match.
Arif said, “I lost (21-18, 18-21, 20-22) to Chen Long in the final of the Asian Juniors and I remember giving him a tough fight. It was my best achievement in the championships.
The Malaysian further added, “I have been left behind since then, mostly because of my own mistakes. However, I have made a lot of improvement since coming under the charge of Hendrawan. I am physically stronger and I am able to show better strategy in my
game.”
In the national squad of back-up players, Arif is the best shuttler who can replace senior players in the next couple of years. He is currently ranked at the 98th position in the Men’s Singles world standings.
Arif said that Chen Long will be the major contender in the Thailand Open. He is determined to produce a good result in the event, which will surely boost his confidence and help him get on the right track.
Apart from Arif, there will be three other shuttlers from Malaysia who will participate in the Thailand Open. Liew Daren, Goh Soon Huat and Chong Wei Feng are also included in the squad. China’s Wang Zhengming and the ruling World Champion, Chen Jin, will
also compete in Thailand to win the Men’s Singles crown.
Arif will open his campaign against Rajiv Ouseph of England, who is the top Men’s Singles player in his country.
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