PETALING JAYA: Men’s singles shuttler Leong Jun Hao needs to adapt quicker to handle different opponents’ playing styles.
Jun Hao was dealt a harsh lesson when he squandered a 11-3 lead in the deciding game to lose 14-21, 21-15, 22-24 to world No. 15 homester Lee Cheuk Yiu in the second round of the Hong Kong Open in Kowloon on Thursday.
It was the 25-year-old’s third consecutive early round exit since World Tour competitions resumed last month after a two month break due to the Paris Olympics.
Jun Hao went down fighting to home favourite Kodai Naraoka in the second round of the Japan Open last month before losing to another Japanese player Takuma Obayashi in the opening round of the Korean Open.
Jun Hao said that he was struggling to adapt to different playing styles of opponents after only starting to compete in World Tour Super 750 and 1000 tournaments in May.
“Every match is different and every player has different playing styles and I need to adapt quicker,” said Jun Hao.
“I had a long break from tournaments and it possibly disrupted my momentum.
The world No. 29 made an impressive start in the higher tier competitions when he stunned the likes of Indonesia’s world No. 7 Jonatan Christie, world No. 10 Anthony Ginting and Taiwan’s Chou Tien-chen (No. 10) en-route to reaching the quarter-finals in the Singapore and Indonesian Opens in May and June.
Jun Hao though has found it harder to continue his good form after the long break in tournaments.
“In the match against Cheuk Yiu, I played well but I did not take my opportunities during the crucial stages,” he said.
“Towards the end, it came down to who was more aggressive and could stay in the rallies. Perhaps, I was playing too safe.”
Jun Hao has an opportunity to make amends when he competes next in the China Open which starts on Tuesday in Changzhou.
