PETALING JAYA: One men’s singles title in two finals, not a bad week for Malaysian badminton.
On Sunday, Leong Jun Hao defeated compatriot Cheam June Wei 9-21, 22-20, 21-19 in the Indonesian Masters final for his first World Tour title in Malang.
Earlier, June Wei did well to upstage higher-ranked and teammate Ng Tze Yong in the quarter-finals to show there is a healthy rivalry in the team.
In the Denmark Open, Lee Zii Jia went down 18-21, 21-16, 12-21 to Shi Yuqi of China in the final in Odense. It was the Asian champion Zii Jia’s best showing in recent times after struggling with poor form and physical condition.
But more than the results, the week also indicated that Malaysia now have four singles players – world No. 3 Zii Jia, Tze Yong (32), June Wei (65) and Jun Hao (101) – whom they can count on for the future.
Zii Jia and June Wei are independent players while Tze Yong and Jun Hao are BAM’s top players for now.
Although their standard is not up to the mark yet and are still bothered with inconsistencies compared to players from the other badminton powerhouses, the determination shown by these players are the positives that one can take from the recent tournaments.
There was a time when no one was in sight after Lee Chong Wei’s retirement but now, at least there are four faces who can form a decent team that can challenge for the next Thomas Cup Finals.
For both Zii Jia and Jun Hao, it was a restart that they needed to boost their confidence.
“It’s a good start again for me,” said the 24-year-old Zii Jia, who crashed out early in the last three tournaments – Malaysian Open, World Championships and Japan Open – over the last three months.
“I want to build on that momentum at the French Open ... with an even better showing,” added Zii Jia, who will take on Shesar Hiren of Indonesia in the first round today in Paris.
The 23-year-old Jun Hao hopes the win will be a turning point in his career, which had been laden with injury and confidence issues.
“I hope to start again and resume with my plan to become one of the top 10 players in the world. It’s still a long road but the win has given me some confidence,” said Jun Hao.
The 26-year-old June Wei may have lost in the final in Malang but he is certainly on a comeback trail and one can expect better showing from him while the youngest among the lot, Tze Yong, 22, is talented and has the potential to go far. Meanwhile, China did better than Japan and Indonesia as all three nations continue to make their presence felt on the podium.
China won four out of the five titles in Denmark and took one in three finals in Indonesia to justify the depth in their team.
Indonesia stamped their class in the doubles event by winning in Denmark and Indonesia.
Fajar Alfian-Rian Ardianto fought hard to beat rejuvenated Marcus Fernaldi-Kevin Sanjaya 21-19, 28-26 while younger pair Rahmat Hidayat-Pramudya Kusumawardana stunned top seeds He Jiting-Zhao Dao-hong of China 21-18, 21-19.
FINAL RESULTS
DENMARK OPEN
Men’s singles: Shi Yuqi (Chn) bt Lee Zii Jia (Mas) 21-18, 16-21, 21-12.
Men’s doubles: Fajar Alfian-Rian Ardianto (Ina) bt Marcus Fernaldi-Kevin Sanjaya (Ina) 21-19, 28-26.
Women’s singles: He Bingjiao (Chn) bt Chen Yufei (Chn) 22-20, 12-21, 21-10.
Women’s doubles: Chen Qingchen-Jia Yifan (Chn) bt Baek Ha-na-Lee So-hee (Kor) 21-12, 21-15.
Mixed doubles: Zheng Siwei-Huang Yaqiong (Chn) bt Feng Yanzhe-Huang Dongping (Chn) 21-19, 20-22, 21-19.
INDONESIAN MASTERS
Men’s singles: Leong Jun Hao(Mas) bt Cheam June Wei (Mas) 9-21, 22-20, 21-19
Men’s doubles: Rahmat Hidayat-Pramudya Kusumawardana (Ina) bt He Jiting-Zhao Dao-hong 21-18, 21-19.
Women’s singles: Riko Gunji (Jpn) bt Gao Gangjie (Chn) 21-10, 21-12
Women’s doubles: Rui Hirokami-Yuna Kato (Jpn) bt Rena Myaura-Ayako Sakuramoto (Jpn) 23-21, 21-18.
Mixed doubles: Jiang Zhenbang-Wei Yaxin (Chn) bt Cheng XingChen Fanghui (Chn) 21-12, 21-15.
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