Jakarta: Men’s singles shuttler Zulfadli Zulkiffli admits it is a struggle to make an impact as an independent player but the 22-year-old does not plan to join the BA of Malaysia (BAM) to get his career going.
His gallant run in the Badminton World Championship ended in the last 16 when he lost 21-15, 21-9 to Hong Kong's Wei Nan at Istora Senayan Indoor Stadium.
Despite lacking in some aspects of the game, Zulfadli, the 2011 world junior champion, believes he can still go far under his father and coach Zulkiffli Sidek.
“I do not want join anyone. I am making progress but it is not at a desired rate. My ranking and results are slightly better compared to before,” said Zulfadli today.
“I will maintain with my dad. However, I will need to train harder and also spar with quality players. My peers from other countries have made smooth transitions from junior to senior badminton as they were picked for big tournaments such as the Thomas Cup and Sudirman Cup but I did not play in them.
“I do not know how to handle pressure and also control myself on court. In terms of strength, I think I am on par with most players.”
The World No 38 hopes his respectable performance in Jakarta will be a turning point to his career as the shuttler wants to qualify for next year’s Olympics in Rio.
In the mixed doubles, Chan Peng Soon-Goh Liu Ying were hammered 21-8, 21-13 by Indonesia’s third seed Ahmad Tontowi-Liliyana Natsir in the third round.
Liu Ying said her knee problem was a contributing factor to the miserable performance today.
“I am still having problems with my knees after surgery. I did not feel comfortable on court and my movements were limited.
“I think reaching the third round is a good result but things could have been better. We need to work on our consistency and also improve our overall game to challenge the top pairs,” said Liu Ying.
In the women’s doubles, unseeded Amelia Alicia Anscelly-Soong Fie Cho upset top seeds and World No 1 Misaki Matsutomo-Ayaka Takahashi 21-15, 12-21, 21-14 today to enter the quarter-finals.
They are only the third Malaysian pair to make the last eight since the inception of the tournament in 1977.
“I am speechless…we are so happy. We were composed on court and did not make mistakes. The Japanese pair were nervous and we took advantage to earn crucial points,” said Amelia.