CHENGDU: Malaysia’s lack of depth in the singles was a glaring weakness pinpointed by many before the Thomas Cup Finals.
But Leong Jun Hao and Co have changed the perception so far.
And the 24-year-old Jun Hao hopes the singles will continue to shine when they face off against China in the semi-finals today.
He faces a tough test next against China’s world No. 6 and Hangzhou Asian Games gold medallist Li Shifeng but Jun Hao promises to give another good account of himself.
This will be the first meeting between the two players.
Lee Zii Jia will play the first singles and Malaysia have the option of fielding either Cheam June Wei or Justin Hoh in the third singles.
“It has been a good run for me so far here and I hope to continue playing well in my next match,” said Jun Hao.
On Thursday, he defied expectations by turning the tide in the team’s favour against Japan in the quarter-finals.
Malaysia and Japan were tied 1-1 and Jun Hao needed to step up in the crucial second singles against world No. 22 Koki Watanabe.
He took to the task with aplomb, needing just 35 minutes to come away with a 21-13, 21-10 win.
Malaysia went on to win the tie after men’s doubles pair Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin Rumsani fought hard to beat Akira Koga-Taichi Saito 18-21, 21-15, 21-12.
Jun Hao was pleased to deliver a point especially after losing to Denmark’s world No. 4 Anders Antonsen in the team’s 2-3 defeat to the Danes in the last group tie.
It was also sweet revenge for the 24-year-old after going down fighting 19-21, 12-21, 19-21 to Watanabe in the semi-finals of the Asia Team Championships in Shah Alam in February.
