KUALA LUMPUR, May 22 — National men’s singles shuttler Leong Jun Hao fought for 81 minutes to bounce back from a game down and show China’s Lei Lan Xi the exit in the first round of the Malaysia Masters 2024 at the Axiata Arena in Bukit Jalil here today.
World number 37 Jun Hao lost the first game 12-21 but showed tremendous determination and resilience to win the next two games 23-21, 21-12 to clinch victory in front of the home fans.
“To me, when I play here (in Malaysia), (I) must give my best. I never gave up and gave it everything I had... and that’s one reason why I won today.
“I feel that there is improvement because now I’m in more high-quality tournaments. I’ll take it one game at a time and one step at a time to reach a higher level,” he told reporters here today.
Asked if it’s true that players from China are tough nuts to crack, Jun Hao said every player has his weaknesses and finding their weak points can help take them down.
Jun Hao’s next opponent will be either Toma Junior Popov of France or third seed Li Shi Feng of China.
National women’s singles shuttler Goh Jin Wei also had to slog for three games before overcoming Ukraine’s Polina Buhrova 21-16, 18-21, 21-14 to set up a second-round date with Thailand’s Busanan Ongbamrungphan tomorrow.
The 24-year-old Jin Wei has lost three times to Busanan, in the 2016 Indonesia Masters, 2016 Thailand Open and 2018 Badminton Asia Championships. — Bernama
