PETALING JAYA: Leong Jun Hao's fine run in the Japan Masters ended with a runners-up finish.
World No. 31 Jun Hao went down 10-21, 13-21 to China's world No. 9 Li Shifeng in 44 minutes in the final in Kumamoto on Sunday (Nov 17).
The defeat extended the 25-year-old's winless streak against Shifeng to four matches.
Jun Hao can still hold his head high after stunning India's world No. 17 Lakshya Sen, Japan's world No. 11 Koki Watanabe and Kodai Naraoka (No. 4) and Indonesia's Jonatan Christie (No. 6) to reach his first final in a World Tour Super 500 competition.
Jun Hao is also the first men's singles player from the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) to make it into a final in a World Tour tournament this year.
