Chen (left) hands over the trophy to Safaruddin.
SIBU: Debutant Safaruddin Alhamidi defeated Nor Aiman Sukindar 3-0 (11-5, 11-3, 16-14) to lift the Non-Chinese Sibu Open and Veterans Table Tennis Championship title, concluded here over the weekend.
The 34-year-old part-timer player from Kuala Lumpur received RM1,000 plus a trophy.
Third placing went to Mohd Aimal Nizam from Kuala Lumpur, followed by Stewart Lengget from Kuching.
“It was a big victory and I hope to come back again for next year’s edition,” Safaruddin said when interviewed.
Safaruddin started playing table tennis at age 16 and has won numerous accolades, including the 2017 Selangor Novice, 2015 Serdang Open and 2010 DBKL Open.
He also grabbed the third placing in the 2016 Sarawak Open held in Serian.
Safaruddin was grateful to his coach Ling Ting Sik for guiding him on the proper techniques and skills to nurture a good player.
“I play more on tactical skills and the strategy works,” he said.
A record number of 64 players took part in the non-Chinese section and they included those from Sabah, Kuala Lumpur, Kuching and Bintulu.
For the Men’s Veteran (Above 45 years), Tang Chong Wei was champion, followed by Ting Sien Fook, Chua Jing Hua and Alex Han.
For the Men’s Veteran (Above 55 years), the evergreen Desmond Ling came from behind to edge Sahari Zaidel from Kuching 3-1 (8-11, 11-2, 11-5, 11-5) to snatch the title. Liew Toh Foh was third followed by Pau Yun Chiong.
In the Women’s Veteran, former state champion Lee Ah Bee emerged victorious, followed by Ling Siew En, Chung Xiao Yien and Ngu Hui Fang from Bintulu.
Sibu Table Tennis Association (STTA) chairman Dr Clemen Chen, in his closing remarks, expressed his satisfaction over the big number of players for the non-Chinese category.
“The huge turnout for the non-Chinese section will certainly encourage STTA to better organise the competition,” he added.
Chen also offered some tips for the players, saying that they need to identify their opponents weaknesses and strengths in order to overcome them.
“Sometimes when the standard of both players are at the same level, it comes to your flexibility and the display of the mental toughness. This is a crucial part that help mould a champion.”