Uber Cup Preliminary Round: Muhammad Hafiz Hashim finds his winning momentum – Badminton news
Malaysia Men’s Singles senior shuttler, Muhammad Hafiz Hashim, found his winning momentum back as he overpowered India’s Parupalli Kashyap in the quarter-final of the Thomas Cup Preliminary Round on Thursday, February 16, in Macau.
Malaysia won the match against India with a 3-0 margin and advanced into the semi-final of the tournament. With this victory, they have also qualified for the Thomas Cup Finals, scheduled in China, in May.
The World Number 33 Hafiz Hashim played competitive badminton against Kashyap, who is currently placed at number 29 in Men’s Singles world rankings.
Hafiz played the second Men’s Singles fight and entered into the court without any burden as Malaysia bagged two opening matches and was leading with a 2-0 margin.
He started the game in a dominating way and also controlled the bird well. He remained positive and focused in the game and took it with a 21-17 score on the board.
In the second game, both shuttlers played fast badminton until the ending points when Hafiz failed to dominate rallies and lost the set with a score of 18-21.
However, in the deciding game, Hafiz was on a different level as he thrashed his Indian opponent without showing any mercy and bagged the set with a margin of 21-11.
The overall margin of this Men’s Singles fight was 21-17, 18-21 and 21-11.
While talking about his victory, Hafiz said that he is happy as he has finally won a match in the Preliminary Round.
He said, “I am glad that I finally won a point for Malaysia after all the disappointments. I went on the offensive from the start and kept my opponent on tight and long rallies. My attacking game was solid and I am thrilled that I could contribute a point
and take Malaysia into the Finals in Wuhan.”
While talking about semi-final clash against Japan, Hafiz said that there will not be any pressure as Malaysia has already qualified for the Thomas Cup Finals.
He said, “There will be no pressure against Japan tomorrow. The team will be out to enjoy a good game.”
By qualifying for the Finals, Malaysian shuttlers have proved that they have got the talent to rise on any occasion.
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