Safe for now: Leong Jun Hao’s spot in the men’s singles seems almost certain.
PETALING JAYA: While most countries have already announced their line-ups for the Sudirman Cup in Xiamen, China, later this month, Malaysia’s selection remains shrouded in mystery, particularly in the men’s singles department.
However, singles coaching director Kenneth Jonassen is in no rush to make a decision and intends to use the upcoming Asian Championships, which begin on Tuesday in Ningbo, China, as an evaluation platform before finalising the men’s singles players.
The deadline for player registration for the Sudirman Cup is April 14, giving Jonassen just about a week to decide which men’s singles players will be heading to Ningbo.
“So to speak, I have a long list of players, and I’m waiting to see how they perform at the Asian Championships.
“I think we have this option, and I want to use it. Of course, I would say that Jun Hao is definitely going,” said Jonassen.
While Leong Jun Hao’s spot in the men’s singles seems almost certain, the competition now focuses on Ng Tze Yong and Justin Hoh, as both will also be competing at this year’s Asian Championships.
Tze Yong, who has just recovered from a back injury, will face 2023 world champion Kunlavut Vitidsarn in the first round.
Singles coaching director Kenneth Jonassen.Meanwhile, Justin, making his debut at the tournament, will have to navigate two qualifying rounds against Jewel Angelo Albo of the Philippines and Amirhossein Hasani of Iran in Group A.
Earlier, Malaysia’s preparations for the Sudirman Cup suffered a setback after professional men’s singles player Lee Zii Jia announced a lengthy break to focus on recovering from a leg injury.
For this edition, Malaysia have been drawn in Group C alongside three time runners-up Japan, Australia and France, the teams that are considered capable of challenging Malaysia’s chances of making it to the quarter-finals.
However, France surprised many by omitting their top men’s singles player, Alex Lanier, from the line-up. The absence of Toma Popov Junior and his brother, Christo Popov, as well as mixed doubles pair Delphine Delrue-Thom Gicquel, also raises eyebrows.
Despite these changes, Jonassen was not surprised by France’s decision to bring a weakened squad to Ningbo, listing only 10 players for the tournament.
Nevertheless, the Dane remains cautious about the presence of Arnaud Merkle, who still poses a significant threat in the men’s singles event.
“For me, it wasn’t a surprise that they did not pick certain players. They’ve done this quite a few times when they didn’t feel a player is ready to challenge for a medal. In those cases, they sent a developing team instead.
“As for the singles, Merkle remains a tough competitor, and we can’t take him lightly. He finished second at the French Nationals, losing only to Lanier in the final.
“He’s (Merkle) a tough player to break down, so we’ll need to stay fully focused and figure out a way to win this one,” he added.
