PETALING JAYA: National men’s singles shuttler Leong Jun Hao remains upbeat after losing in the first round of the French Open and is determined to learn from every setback.
The 26-year-old Jun Hao lost 16-21, 15-21 to Olympic Games champion Viktor Axelsen of Denmark on Thursday.
The defeat mirrored last week’s Denmark Open, where Jun Hao also bowed out in the first round to China’s Li Shifeng.
Jun Hao viewed the defeat as part of his ongoing growth and development as a player.
“My fighting spirit remains intact and I will use the experience as valuable motivation to bounce back stronger in the upcoming tournaments,” said Jun Hao in a post match interview with Badminton World Federation.
“These two European legs featured tough opponents, and they showed me where I currently stand and what I need to work on. I’ll continue to build on that and make gradual improvements.
“Perhaps I need to improve certain aspects of my game or fitness level so I can maintain my pace throughout matches. I’ll keep adding new elements step by step.”
Although Thursday’s result was not encouraging, Jun Hao still managed to put up a decent fight in the first game before the two-time world champion pulled away with his experience and composure to seal the win.
“I was a bit nervous at the start in the second game and overthought things when trying to make it difficult for him because he’s very big on court,” he said.
“My coach (Kenneth Jonassen) helped me a lot with tactics and showed me what Axelsen likes to do on court.
The world No. 20 still has one more stop in his European campaign, as he heads to Saarbrucken, Germany next week for the Hylo Open.
Compared to the previous two tournaments where he faced elite opponents, the draw this time appears more manageable, with Jun Hao set to meet India’s world No. 62 Sankar Subramanian in the opening round.
