Leong Jun Hao. — FAIHAN GHANI/The Star
PETALING JAYA: Men’s singles shuttler Leong Jun Hao’s campaign in the Hong Kong Open ended after a heartbreaking defeat to China’s Li Shifeng in the quarter-finals.
Jun Hao fought his heart out and had an opportunity to win the match when he led 20-19 in the third game but could not convert and went down 20-22, 21-14, 20-22 in an exhausting 78-minute match at the Hong Kong Coliseum in Kowloon on Friday (Sept 12).
It was world No. 23 Jun Hao’s sixth defeat to world No. 4 Shifeng in seven meetings.
Despite the defeat, the 26-year-old can hold his head high after pushing the Chinese ace hard until the end.
It was also Jun Hao’s second quarter-final finish of the year after reaching the same stage in the Singapore Open in June.
