PETALING JAYA: Leong Jun Hao’s latest defeat to an unheralded opponent at the Hylo Open has raised questions over whether he truly deserves to be regarded as the country’s No. 1 men’s singles shuttler.
Jun Hao is currently ranked No. 22 in the world – far higher than any other Malaysian men’s singles player, including Lee Zii Jia and Ng Tze Yong, who are both still recovering from injuries and are placed 63rd and 192nd respectively.
However, despite his superior ranking, his performances have failed to match that standing. The 26-year-old once again suffered an early exit, falling 14-21, 21-18, 16-21 to India’s world No. 62 Sankar Subramanian in the first round on Wednesday.
To make matters worse, it was Jun Hao’s second straight loss to Sankar, having also fallen to the Indian at last year’s Thailand Masters – also in the opening round.
The defeat capped off a disappointing European tour for Jun Hao, who had also bowed out in the first round of both the Denmark Open and French Open earlier this month.
Former world No. 1 Roslin Hashim expressed disappointment over the Kuala Lumpur-born player’s inability to take advantage of a favourable draw at the Hylo Open.
“Compared to the draws in Odense and Cesson-Sevigne, this was his best opportunity to go further as he didn’t have to face top seeds like Li Shifeng or Viktor Axelsen early on,’ said Roslin.
“Under the guidance of Kenneth Jonassen, he should have shown some improvement by now because Jonassen is no ordinary coach. He has produced top players such as Olympic champion Viktor Axelsen and Anders Antonsen.
“I’m not expecting too much since Jonassen only took charge of the men’s singles squad less than a year but so far, Jun Hao hasn’t delivered any encouraging results apart from early exits.
“So, what excuse will Jun Hao give this time?”
Roslin also felt that Jun Hao seemed to lack a champion’s mentality, which could be one of the main reasons behind his string of defeats this year.
“The way he plays shows he doesn’t have the hunger to win. Before stepping onto the court, his mindset should already be on winning and becoming a champion, but that desire just isn’t visible in him,” added Roslin.
What worries Roslin even more is that if Jun Hao continues to perform this way, he wouldn’t be surprised if the shuttler makes another early exit at the Thailand SEA Games at the end of December.
The Badminton Association of Malaysia have already listed him as one of the players for both the individual and team events.
Joining Jun Hao in the individual event is Justin Hoh, while Eogene Ewe and Aidil Sholeh Ali Sadikin have been called up for the men’s team event.
