Inspirational: Leong Jun Hao feels that playing in the Lion City is the catalyst to revive his badminton career.
PETALING JAYA: It felt like deja vu for men’s singles shuttler Leong Jun Hao as he rediscovered his form at the Singapore Open by advancing to the quarter-finals.
Jun Hao pulled off a surprise win over world No. 5 and former Asian champion Jonatan Christie in the second round yesterday, sealing a straight-games victory 21-16, 21-19.
The result ended a frustrating run for Jun Hao, who had suffered early exits in his last eight BWF World Tour appearances, including a first-round defeat at the Malaysian Masters last week.
Fittingly, his latest resurgence mirrored his campaign at last year’s Singapore Open, where he stunned Jonatan’s compatriot Anthony Ginting, also in the second round.
Jun Hao believes that the Lion City might once again be the spark he needs to turn his season around, especially since breaking into the world’s top 32.
“I tried to adapt as quickly as I could and just stayed focused on the court and the conditions,” said Jun Hao.
“Since last year, I did my best to get things going from here (at the Singapore Open). After that, things were up and down. So I’m trying to restart from here,” said Jun Hao in an interview with BWF.
However, Jun Hao will be hoping history doesn’t repeat itself in the quarter-finals.
Last year, his impressive run came to an end at the hands of world champion Viktor Axelsen. This time, standing in his way is another world champion, Thailand’s Kunlavut Vitidsarn.
On paper, Jun Hao holds the edge in their head-to-head record, having won three of their five previous encounters.
But in their most recent meeting at the Thailand Open last year, it was Kunlavut who emerged victorious after a gruelling three-game battle in the second round.
