PETALING JAYA: From finalist to first-round casualty - fortunes have certainly reversed for men’s singles shuttler Leong Jun Hao at the Japan Masters in Kumamoto.
On Wednesday (Nov 12), the national No. 1 fell 16-21, 21-13, 21-23 to India’s H.S. Prannoy in a gruelling 68-minute opening-round battle.
It was a cruel defeat for Jun Hao, who held two match points before eventually going down.
Just last year, Jun Hao stood tall as the tournament’s runner-up to China's Li Shifeng, but this time, the script ended early.
With the win, Prannoy now leads their head-to-head 2-1.
The Indian had beaten Jun Hao at the 2022 Thomas Cup Finals, but lost to the Malaysian at the 2020 Asia Team Championships.
Meanwhile, Wong Ling Ching joins K. Letshanaa into the second round of the women's singles event.
Ling Ching defeated Nanaho Kondo of Japan 21-16, 21-11 to set up a meeting against Michelle Li of Canada.
Letshanaa, who had beaten Keisha Fatimah of Azerbaijan 25-23, 21-8, will take on Taiwan's Chiu Pin-chian for a place in the quarter-finals.
