Roslin only wants to give his best

JAKARTA (JP): When on the top form, Malaysia's Roslin Hashim, who is known for his ups and downs, is unstoppable.

He stole not only the attention of some 1,000 spectators at the modified Senayan Tennis Indoor Stadium, but the chances of top seed and current world number one Peter Gade Christensen of Denmark of triumphing in the Sanyo Indonesia Open on Thursday.

Roslin, who was born in Kelantan on Oct. 23, 1975, performed outstandingly and maintained his patience throughout the three- set match.

"I learned a lot from my experience when I beat him in the Japan Open quarterfinals early this year. I already knew his type of performance. I have studied his strength and weaknesses," he said, unveiling his key to success in a post-match conference.

Malaysian Thomas Cup backbone Roslin is always a tough nut to crack, causing a lot of trouble to any of his opponents.

"I am here to perform my best, which reflects the result of my training in Malaysia. I had no idea who I would meet here but after I looked at the order of play I knew I would meet Peter in the third round."

Coach Jalani Sidek attributed Roslin's victory to his patience.

"He is very cool-headed and mentally very tough. I hope he can maintain his performance to advance to the next rounds."

The fifth child of father Hashim Ichsan and mother Habsah Hassan, who have 10 children, Roslin began hitting shuttlecock at the age of seven. But he started to seriously play the sport when he was 13 before joining a small club in his hometown.

Later on, he moved to Nusa Mahsuri, a well-known club managed by the Sidek family, then known as Malaysian badminton heroes.

Friends know the devout Muslim Roslin for his calm behavior.

Roslin has become a regular player in the Malaysian Thomas Cup team since 1998. He marked his debut with a win over Indonesian veteran Joko Suprianto in the indecisive singles match.

In the same year, he beat Indonesia's rising star Taufik Hidayat to give Malaysia the consolation point in his team's 1-4 defeat in the Asian Games.

Speaking about Malaysia's failure in the Thomas Cup championships in May, Roslin said he was very disappointed.

"But it was a team event and I want to get over it. If I always remember the failure, I won't be able to perform better next."

Dubbed a giant killer, Roslin has collected only one title during his career, winning the 1998 Dutch Open by beating Thomas Johansson of Sweden.

Being a fast learner, and a player who never sets a target too high, many believe Roslin will rise to the top some day. (yan)