PETALING JAYA: Beware of Taiwanese shuttler Lin Chun-yi.
National No. 2 Leong Jun Hao is set to face the tricky Chun-yi in the men’s singles first round in the Asian Championships from April 8-13 in Ningbo, China, and singles head coach Kenneth Jonassen is wary of the threat posed by the world No. 14.
Chun-yi is currently Taiwan’s No. 2 in the men’s singles behind only world No. 9 Chou Tien-chen and caught the eye when he stunned Jonassen’s former charge and two-time Olympic champion Viktor Axelsen in the All-England first round last month.
The 25-year-old has also toppled the likes of Axelsen’s world No. 2 teammate Anders Antonsen, China’s world No. 6 Li Shifeng and Thailand’s reigning world champion Kunlavut Vitidsarn.
It’s no surprise that Jonassen is expecting a tough challenge for Jun Hao, who will be making his debut in the tournament.
“Overall, it’s a difficult draw for Jun Hao in the Asian meet,” said Jonassen. “It’s a very tough opening match for him against Chun-yi. He’s an in-form player, hence the focus will only be on this challenge and trying to find ways to be competitive against him.
‘’Jun Hao’s preparations have been solid so far and we have been making some minor adjustments (in his game).”
Jun Hao, who is currently ranked No. 26 in the world, does have an advantage over Chun-yi based on the head-to-head records, having beaten the latter in both their past encounters in the 2024 Spain Masters second round and 2023 Hong Kong Open opening match.
If the 2017 Asian Junior champion can maintain his perfect record against the Taiwanese, he will take on either China’s world No. 20 Lu Guangzu or India’s world No. 29 H.S. Prannoy for a place in the last eight.
Jun Hao will be out to impress in the Asian meet and give himself a boost ahead of the Sudirman Cup from April 27-May 4 in Xiamen, China.
Meanwhile, the other Malaysians in the fray in the men’s singles are Ng Tze Yong and another debutant Justin Hoh.
Tze Yong, who will be making his long awaited return to competitions after two back surgeries last year, faces an uphill battle against Kunlavut in the first round while Justin will start from the group stage.
