PETALING JAYA: Luck does not come around often, and men’s singles shuttler Leong Jun Hao cannot rely on it as he faces Asian champion Jonatan Christie in the second round of the Singapore Open today.
Jun Hao got lucky in the first round yesterday when his Chinese opponent, Lei Lanxi, withdrew from the match, giving the Malaysian a walkover.
National singles coaching director Kenneth Jonassen said although Jun Hao was fortunate to avoid a tough first-round battle like other players, the real test will come against Jonatan today as the players fight for a place in the quarter-finals.
“I think you always take a free pass in the first round. Of course, you would like to play in the arena, but you can’t get both.
The next match is a good test to see if you’ve learned from your previous encounter,” said Jonassen.
Jonatan advanced to the second round after defeating Ireland’s Nhat Nguyen 23-21, 21-16 yesterday, redeeming himself from his early exit last year.
The head-to-head record between Jun Hao and Jonatan is currently even, with both players having won twice in their four encounters.
Their last meeting was at the first round of the All England in March, where Jonatan ended Jun Hao’s debut at the world’s oldest tournament in straight sets 21-11, 21-19.
Jun Hao also faces pressure as the 25-year-old has yet to make a strong impact this year, failing to advance past the second round in any of the seven BWF World Tour events he has entered so far.
Last year, he had an impressive run at the Singapore Open, defeating Kanta Tsuneyama in the first round and causing an upset by beating two-time champion Anthony Ginting in the second round before losing to Denmark’s star Viktor Axelsen.
