PETALING JAYA: Shuttler Justin Hoh (pic) will assume a new role in the Thailand Open as the top ranked men’s singles shuttler for Malaysia.
In the absence of world No. 10 Lee Zii Jia and world No. 24 Leong Jun Hao, who are recovering from ankle and hand injuries respectively, all eyes will be on Justin to defy the odds in the World Tour Super 500 event.
With world No. 45 Justin’s improved showing in recent times, singles coach Kenneth Jonassen believes he will be able to shoulder the burden as the country’s highest ranked player in the meet starting today in Bangkok.
The 21-year-old has struggled to raise his game early this year but showed encouraging signs when he made it into the last eight in the Taiwan Open last week.
Justin impressively took down defending champion and world No. 17 homester Lin Chun-yi in straight games in the second round.
The win has given Justin the confidence ahead of a tougher assignment in Bangkok where he will have to navigate two qualifying rounds to reach the main draw.
Justin will open his campaign against Belgium’s world No. 51 Julien Carraggi before a possible meeting against India’s Ayush Shetty (No. 44).
Said Jonassen: “A very quick turnaround is always needed between tournaments when you reach the last eight and it has been the same for Justin.
“The draw is tricky. First of all, potentially two matches within a few hours is always tough.
‘’First round against Caraggi is a match which needs our full attention as he can be a dangerous opponent.
“If he overcomes this, then second round is possibly against Shetty who is really moving up the ranks.
“Both players are a great test for Justin but we need to focus on one match at a time.”
Justin will be joined by his seniors Ng Tze Yong and Aidil Sholeh Ali Sadikin but both are currently ranked lower than him in the world standing.
Tze Yong, who is still finding his feet after returning from a back injury last month, will take on China’s world No. 16 Weng Hongyang in the first round while Aidil will play India’s K. Satish Kumar in the qualifying round.
