Tall order: Leong Jun Hao will face China’s Li Shifeng in the first round of the Denmark Open today.
PETALING JAYA: Carrying the tag of Malaysia’s No. 1 men’s singles player comes with pressure and constant scrutiny but Leong Jun Hao is learning to handle it better with each tournament.
Jun Hao had initially struggled with his new status after replacing Lee Zii Jia as Malaysia’s highest ranked men’s singles shuttler in June.
Zii Jia, who captured bronze in the Paris Olympics last year, has dropped to No. 44 in the latest world rankings due to his dogged injury and mental health issues this year.
In Zii Jia’s absence on the Tour, Jun Hao is at the No. 21st position in the world but it has not been a smooth ride for him.
The 26-year-old has only reached as far as the quarter-finals twice this year in the Singapore Open in June and Hong Kong Open last month.
Men’s singles coach K. Yogendran, though, believes that Jun Hao is coping better with the pressure of being the main man.
“Jun Hao did struggle with the weight of the responsibility right after becoming national No. 1,” said Yogendran.
“In the first week, the stress was clearly written on his face. He will lose his temper easily during training. He had put too much expectations on himself but now he has settled down and is coping better.”
Despite results not being the best, Yogendran has seen positives from Jun Hao’s performances in training and tournaments lately and wants his charge to continue pushing for a breakthrough.
“Before this, Jun Hao was known for playing well in team competitions but now his performances are getting better in individual events too,” said Yogendran.
“He has not been winning a lot but his game is becoming more consistent. He is also getting more mature on court. In the past week, his training has been of high quality too. I hope he can maintain his form in his remaining tournaments of the year.
“Our goal is to help him break into top 16 in the rankings as soon as possible,” added Yogendran.
Jun Hao will compete in the Denmark Open starting today in Odense.
The 2017 Asian Junior champion will be Malaysia’s sole representative in the men’s singles in the tourney in the absence of Zii Jia, who has pulled out due to a lower back injury.
The draw though has not been kind for Jun Hao as he faces a tough task right from the start against China’s world No. 4 Li Shifeng.
The Malaysian has only beaten Shifeng once in their past eight meetings.
Jun Hao’s sole win came in the Indian Open first round in January and Yogendran is hoping there will be another upset.
“The head-to-head record does not favour Jun Hao but he did beat Shifeng the only time both played against each other in the first round (in India),” said Yogendran.
“Jun Hao is usually fresher in the opening round of competitions, so hopefully he can win again.”
