PETALING JAYA: It was a day when Malaysia’s men’s singles finally made their presence felt in the World Tour.
Leong Jun Hao solidified his status as the national No. 1 by beating struggling independent player Lee Zii Jia 21-16, 21-16 at the Hong Kong Coliseum in Kowloon yesterday.
Justin Hoh and Aidil Sholeh Ali Sadikin, who both came through qualifying rounds, also scored big upsets to reach the Hong Kong Open second round.
It was world No. 39 Justin though who stole the show when he sensationally toppled world No. 13 Frenchman Toma Junior Popov 21-12, 21-17.
The 21-year-old continued his fiery form after finishing runner up in his last outing in the Macau Open last month.
Justin has now set up an intriguing all-Malaysian second round match against Jun Hao, ensuring a representative from the country in the quarter-finals.
The youngster credited singles coaching director Kenneth Jonassen’s guidance for the win.
“I played very well today (yesterday). I can say it’s my best performance,” said Justin in a post-match interview with the Badminton World Federation (BWF).
“My opponent performed quite well too, so I’m happy I could win. Coach Kenneth knows the European style of play well and helped me to prepare well for the match.
“I also learned a lot from my training stint in Denmark two weeks ago. I’m improving and I hope to do even better tomorrow (today).”
Justin had a five-day training stint in Copenhagen two weeks ago, notably sparring with the likes of world No. 2 Anders Antonsen.
World No. 23 Jun Hao, who had joined Justin, was also pleased after scoring a morale boosting win over Zii Jia.
It was the 26-year-old’s maiden victory over the world No. 47 after losing twice to the latter.
“It was a tough match as we have been training together since we were juniors,” said Jun Hao.
“I have never beaten him before, so I knew I had to prepare very well and play my best game. I’m glad I did it.”
Against Justin, Jun Hao might hold the advantage based on ranking and experience but surprisingly has never beaten his teammate before in international competitions.
Justin came out on top twice in the 2022 Malaysian International Challenge and 2023 Syed Modi International and will not be lacking in confidence.
Meanwhile, Aidil will also be out to continue his fine run after impressively coming from behind to beat Taiwan’s world No. 26 Chi Yu-jen 15-21, 21-18, 21-15.
It was a timely win for the world No. 43 independent player after losing in the opening round in his last three outings in the Malaysian Masters, Macau Open and China Masters.
Aidil though has a tough task next against world No. 10 Christo Popov, who is Toma’s brother.
Christo was also in great form when he battled past Indonesia’s Anthony Ginting 19-21, 21-17, 21-19.
In the women’s singles, K. Letshanaa’s campaign ended early after she went down 22-24, 16-21 to Canada’s Zhang Wen Yu.
