Dear members, Frustrated Hafiz vows to meet last-eight target PETALING JAYA: Men’s singles shuttler Mohd Hafiz Hashim is ready to end the year with good showings in one of the two Open tournaments this month. National coach Misbun Sidek has set Hafiz a quarter-final target in both the China Open, which starts on Wednesday, and the Hong Kong Open from Dec 28-Dec 2. These are the last two tournaments for Hafiz, who is going through one of the worst years of his career so far. His poor showing has also affected his earnings for this year. Except for a semi-final finish at the Korean Open, Hafiz has crashed out in the early rounds of every other tournament. “I am not satisfied with my own game. I cannot go on like this. It is affecting my income as a player,” said Hafiz, the 2003 All-England champion. “I want to get back that feeling of winning titles again. It is demoralising to lose every time. What makes it even more frustrating it that I do give my best in training. “I have to continue working on my physical condition. But I know that I will get back my touch one day. I have faith in myself.” Based on the draw for the coming Open tournaments, Hafiz’s bid to revive his career with his best ever showing is likely to come unstuck. In the China Open, Hafiz, the world number No 19, is expected to meet either top seed Lin Dan of China or South Korea’s Park Sung-hwan in the second round. In the Hong Kong Open, he has a first-round encounter with Indonesian Simon Santoso. “The Opens in China and Hong Kong are the last two chances for me. The draw is tough but reaching the quarter-finals will be a great achievement in these challenging Super Series events,” he said. He stands to pick up US$5,000 if he reaches the last eight. This is the latest news about Hafiz before participating in the China Open. I hope that he can make us proud of him. From: Malaysian Die- hard fan Source from: The Star Paper
