PETALING JAYA: Not much may be expected from men’s singles shuttler Leong Jun Hao in his World Championships debut in Paris next week, but he could well turn out to be one of Malaysia’s dark horses.
Jun Hao is currently in Denmark with women’s singles player K. Letshanaa and fellow men’s singles shuttler Justin Hoh, sharpening their game by training with several Danish top players ahead of the major tournament.
For Jun Hao, there is little he intends to change with only five days of preparation left.
What matters most to him now is putting into play what he has worked on once he steps on court in Paris.
“Since it’s only a few days, I don’t think there is much more that can be added. The key is to make the most of this sparring experience against stronger and top players.
“I just want to bring out everything I’ve prepared over the past few weeks on match day and hopefully get a good result,” said Jun Hao.
Based on the draw, Jun Hao could go as far as the quarter-finals if he plays to his best form, with him expecting to clear his opening round against Switzerland’s Tobias Kunzi.
Waiting in the second round could be world No. 14 Kenta Nishimoto of Japan. Although Nishimoto is ranked higher than Jun Hao, who sits at No. 25, the Kuala Lumpur-born shuttler has the upper hand in their head-to-head with three wins from five meetings. Most recently, Jun Hao stunned Nishimoto in the first round of the China Open last month.
A tougher test awaits in the third round in the form of Taiwan’s world No. 6 Chou Tien-chen. Still, Jun Hao holds a balanced record against him, having beaten the Taiwanese once in two previous meetings, the win coming at the Indonesian Open last year.
The quarter-finals could throw up several tough opponents including Indonesia’s Anthony Ginting. However, Anthony only recently returned to action after a six-month layoff with a shoulder injury.
Should Jun Hao run into India’s H.S. Prannoy, their record also stands evenly at 1-1. Their last encounter came three years ago during the Thomas Cup in Bangkok.
The biggest hurdle though, could be second seed Anders Antonsen. The Dane, who has been in fine form, got the better of Jun Hao in last year’s Thomas Cup campaign in Chengdu.
But if Jun Hao can spring a surprise and make the semi-finals, it will already be a proud achievement as it guarantees him at least a bronze medal.
It would also be a fitting parallel to Datuk Lee Chong Wei’s debut at the 2005 World Championships in Anaheim, the United States, when he returned home with a bronze medal.
