PETALING JAYA: National singles coaching director Kenneth Jonassen (pic) is satisfied with the performances of all four singles players, who have passed their initial tests in Malaysia’s first two Sudirman Cup Group C ties.
So far, Leong Jun Hao and Justin Hoh in the men’s singles, along with Goh Jin Wei and K. Letshanaa in the women’s singles, have delivered solid performances when called upon.
Team captain Jun Hao got Malaysia off to a good start by defeating France’s Arnaud Merkle in the opening match, while Justin followed up with a convincing win over Australia’s Shrey Dand.
Jin Wei outplayed Leonice Huet, and Letshanaa had little trouble overcoming Teoh Kai Qi to secure her point.
However, Jonassen believes there are still areas to fine-tune ahead of the crucial tie against Japan, particularly in terms of tactical approach and analysing the opponents’ strengths.
“Overall, it's very positive. Four players have been on court, four wins, and obviously against four different levels of opponents. But overall, we adapted well and stuck to the plan, so I'm pretty pleased.
“Of course, there are some details in every match that we need to look into and improve to reach the next level. But from now on, our opponents throughout the tournament will also be of a higher level, which means we need to play with the right strategy, be disciplined, and know when to break away from the strategy. It requires a lot of variety, but we need to play to our strengths.
“So that will be the focus for today and tomorrow before our match against Japan,” said Jonassen in an interview with the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM).
