You outlasted me: Justin Hoh’s run in the Malaysia Super 100 ended in the quarter-finals after he went down 21-18, 17-21, 6-21 to taiwan’s world No. 33 chi yu-jen in a 70-minute battle. — IZZraFIQ aLIaS/the Star
PETALING JAYA: Men’s singles shuttler Justin Hoh needs to work on his fitness to develop into a world class player.
Justin’s run in the Malaysia Super 100 ended in the quarter-finals after he went down 21-18, 17-21, 6-21 to Taiwan’s world No. 33 Chi Yu-jen in a 70-minute battle at Stadium Juara in Bukit Kiara yesterday.
The 20-year-old, who is currently ranked No. 50 in the world, had beaten Yu-jen in the Taiwan Masters in June but could not replicate his performance this time and ran out of steam in the third game.
Justin also needed three games to overcome Indonesia’s Shesar Hiren in the second round a day earlier and his efforts seemed to have taken its toll.
The youngster acknowledged that he had to improve his fitness to succeed in senior level tournaments.
“My opponent played very well. In the third game, he played faster and I could not keep up,” said Justin.
“There’s not much gap between us. Both of us were fighting hard and it was a good match.
“I wanted to win this match to continue Malaysia’s challenge in the men’s singles and I’m disappointed with this result.
“I played well too but I need to improve my fitness to be able to do better in senior level tournaments,” added Justin.
Malaysia’s challenge in the men’s singles is over after Justin’s defeat.
It was a disappointing end for Justin, who was hoping to retain the title which was won by national teammate Leong Jun Hao in last year’s edition.
Justin is hoping to bounce back when he competes next in the back-to-back Korean Masters (Nov 5-10) and Japan Masters (Nov 12-17).
Meanwhile, independent pair Low Hang Yee-Ng Eng Cheong kept home hopes alive in the men’s doubles by storming into the semi-final.
Hang Yee-Eng Cheong, who finished runners-up in last year’s edition, needed only 36 minutes to brush aside Japan’s Takumi Nomura-Yuichi Shimogami.
They will next take on Taiwan’s Wu Hsuan-yi-Ye Hong-wei in their bid to reach the final again.
