KUALA LUMPUR – It was not the kind of ending Wan Arif Wan Junaidi-Muhammad Haikal Nazri hoped for but the national men’s doubles pair believe they can emerge stronger after being floored by Covid-19 at the Masters Orleans in France yesterday.
It was a bitter pill to swallow for the Malaysians, who will now switch their focus to the Hanoi SEA Games next month.
“I myself do not know how I contracted the virus and only knew about it after the Badminton World Federation (BWF) informed our coach.
“This result is unexpected, but I believe there could be a reward waiting for us in a bigger tournament,” said Muhammad Haikal in an audio clip shared with the media today.
Wan Arif shared his sentiment, saying they have decided to move on from this unfortunate episode and would turn their attention to the SEA Games.
The young Malaysian pair had to concede a walkover to Ruben Jille-Ties Van Der Lecq of the Netherlands after Muhammad Haikal was confirmed Covid-19 positive just hours before they were scheduled to play in the final.
Wan Arif hails from Terengganu while Muhammad Haikal is from Kelantan and the young pair, nicknamed the Patatimo Boys, had been on course for their first title this year before Covid-19 struck.
The unseeded pair, ranked 103 in the world, created several upsets on their way to the final, including beating two home pairs, Eloi Adam-Julien Maio in the semi-finals and world number 30 Christo Popov-Toma Junior in the first round. - Bernama, April 4, 2022
