PETALING JAYA: Singles shuttler Leong Jun Hao was rested for the tie against England in the opening Group B clash of the Thomas Cup Finals, but he is not fretting.
The 26-year-old Jun Hao knows it is part of the team strategy and will be ready when called upon.
For Jun Hao, the Finals in Horsens present a chance to revive his form after a difficult spell as Malaysia’s top men’s singles player.
“For the Thomas Cup, I have never played as the first singles before but I will be ready against top players from other countries.
“I definitely have to fight all the way and try to win points for Malaysia,” said Jun Hao.
Malaysia named Justin Hoh as the first singles ahead of Aidil Sholeh Ali Sadikin and Lee Zii Jia.
But if selected against Finland tomorrow, Jun Hao will face world No. 52 Kalle Koljonen.
Like Jun Hao, Koljonen has also struggled for results lately and suffered several early exits.
However, that does not mean the 32-year-old should be taken lightly, as he has shown he can cause upsets on his day, most notably at the Hylo Open last November when he beat Chou Tien-chen, Nhat Nguyen and Ayush Shetty before losing to Magnus Johannesen in the semi-finals.
But Jun Hao is determined to regain his form and earn points for Malaysia as he returns to lead the singles charge Jun Hao had previously built a reputation as a team event specialist.
At the Sudirman Cup in Xiamen last year, he beat Arnaud Merkle of France and then stunned Kodai Naraoka of Japan in the group stage before losing to Shi Yuqi in the quarter-finals.
He also played an important role at the last Thomas Cup in Chengdu, contributing a point against Koki Watanabe as Malaysia reached the semi-finals to secure bronze.
