Spice boys: India’s Lakshya Sen (below) is joining Leong Jun Hao and the other national men’s singles shuttlers’ training ahead of the Malaysian Open next week.
PETALING JAYA: Sparring sessions with India’s Lakshya Sen has given struggling men’s singles shuttler Leong Jun Hao a lift ahead of the Malaysian Open which starts on Tuesday at the Axiata Arena in Bukit Jalil.
World No. 13 Lakshya has joined Jun Hao and other national players at the Academy Badminton Malaysia (ABM) for a two-day training stint before the competition.
Singles coaching director Kenneth Jonassen said that sparring with world-class players like the Indian will be beneficial for his charge as he looks to turn around his fortunes after a disappointing 2025.
Jun Hao is currently ranked No. 28 in the world.
“Lakshya is joining our match play and training sessions for two days,” said Jonassen after overseeing a training session at ABM yesterday.
“Obviously, he’s here to prepare for the Malaysian Open too. We welcome the opportunity to have a world-class player like him here.
“This is the kind of win-win situation where we can gain a lot of quality sparring which we don’t have on a daily basis. We appreciate when opportunities like this arise.”
Jonassen is pleased with Jun Hao’s overall preparations for the season’s curtain raiser after overseeing a tough year but acknowledged that his charge needs to translate the positive training sessions into results.
The 26-year-old only went as far as the semi-finals once last year in the Thailand SEA Games.
“After the SEA Games (last month), Jun Hao is slowly turning a corner in terms of what I see in training,” said Jonassen.
“He’s getting to accept that the consistency and effort can only come from within.
“We have to remember though it’s a habit we need to change which means that it’s not changeable overnight.
“It’s constantly reminding yourself what you are trying to achieve on a daily basis because you want to succeed in tournaments.
“Of course, it’s a challenging path but I am seeing progress and I generally believe if this effort is kept up, we will see some changes.
“Now, the Malaysian Open is the first kind of test for him. For sure, any Malaysian player will want to do great and the same goes for Jun Hao. I’m looking forward to seeing him play,” added Jonassen.
Jun Hao has a tricky opening match against China’s world No. 29 Wang Zhengxing.
This will be the first meeting between both the players.
Jonassen warned that Jun Hao needs to be at his best to overcome Zhengxing.
“Jun Hao’s first task is against a young Chinese player. If you allow him to dictate the rhythm of the game, he’s very dangerous,” said Jonassen.
“But if you can put him under pressure, then there are good options.
“It’s always a challenging task to play any Chinese player because they are very good at adapting and have the ability to change playing styles.
“Jun Hao needs to perform at his strongest level or it’s going to be in and out for him as this is a Super 1000 tournament,” added Jonassen.
