KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 15 — National men’s singles shuttler Leong Jun Hao was over the moon after finally overcoming his opponent, Li Shi Feng of China, at the 2025 India Open yesterday.
The world number 28 said his patient game plan against Li paid off, especially considering their previous head-to-head record, which had not been in his favour.
“For sure it means quite a lot because before this I never won even one game against him.
“He’s a tough opponent, physically and in the strokes he plays — he’s an attacking, all-round player. I just played with what I have and did my best,” he said through an audio recording shared to the media by Badminton World Federation (BWF).
Yesterday, Leong stunned the 2022 Asian Games gold medallist in a rubber game match, winning 18-21, 21-17, 21-17 to advance to the second round.
He will face another Chinese shuttler Weng Hongyang tomorrow for a place in the last eight.
On tomorrow’s clash, Leong said even though the Chinese opponent would be a tough nut to crack, he would focus on his recovery and continue working on his game recovery in a bid to find his way to the last eight.
Meanwhile, Malaysia’s top national mixed doubles pair, Chen Tang Jie-Toh Ee Wei, are delighted to achieve the highest ranking of their careers, climbing to third in the world.
“We proud to achieve it but we will stay humble and hungry to win,” said Chen. — Bernama
