PETALING JAYA: Men’s singles shuttler Justin Hoh (pic) is out to make the most of a rare opportunity in the Asian Championships from April 8-13 in Ningbo, China.
Justin, who turns 21 tomorrow, was promoted from the reserves list after national No. 1 and world No. 8 Lee Zii Jia was forced to pull out of the tourney due to his ankle ligament injury.
Zii Jia’s withdrawal opened the door for Justin to compete in his biggest tournament so far.
The Asian meet is equivalent to a World Tour Super 1000 competition and offers Justin a chance to collect valuable ranking points as well as gain experience playing against some of the top players in the world.
Justin, who has never played in a Super 750 or 1000 tourney before this, is keen to grab the opportunity with both hands.
“I was surprised to get to play in the Asian Championships as I never expected to get this opportunity,” said Justin.
“Now that I have this chance, I will give my very best.”
Justin, who is currently ranked No. 49 in the world, has had a tough start to the year, losing in the early rounds in all his tournaments so far.
The youngster admitted that he had a lot to work on and is trying to adapt his game to the style of singles head coach Kenneth Jonassen, who only joined the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) in the beginning of the year.
“Definitely, I have many areas to improve on and I need to discuss more with the new coach as he has been implementing a different style of play,” said Justin.
“His main focus is on mindset and tactics on court.
‘‘He is teaching me new strategies and I need more time to adapt under him.”
Justin will begin his campaign in the Asian meet from the group stage where he should easily overcome both the Philippines’ Jewel Angelo Albo and Iran’s Amirhossein Hasani before setting up a meeting against South Korea’s world No. 41 Jeon Hyeok-jin in the tournament proper.
A good showing in the tourney will enhance Justin’s chances of earning a spot in the Sudirman Cup from April 27-May 4 in Xiamen, China.
Meanwhile, Malaysia will also be represented in the men’s singles by world No. 26 Leong Jun Hao and Ng Tze Yong in Ningbo.
Both Jun Hao and Tze Yong face tough opening matches against Taiwan’s world No. 14 Lin Chun-yi and Thailand’s reigning world champion Kunlavut Vitidsarn respectively.
