PETALING JAYA: The Badmin–ton Association of Malaysia (BAM) hope a short mental reset will help Justin Hoh rediscover his best form after withdrawing him from next week’s Thailand Open in Bangkok.
Men’s singles head coach Tey Seu Bock said the decision was made after assessing Justin’s condition following a physically and mentally demanding stint at the Thomas Cup campaign in Horsens, Denmark.
Justin had spent almost three weeks in Denmark overall, including attending the centralised training camp in Herning with the rest of the national squad.
Seu Bock hopes the break will help Justin return stronger for the Malaysian Masters from May 19-24 on home soil.
“I gave him a rest to clear his mind and hopefully he will perform better in the Malaysian Masters,” said Seu Bock.
Justin struggled to hit top form throughout the Thomas Cup Finals as Malaysia’s long wait for the title continued.
Playing in the second singles role, he suffered a surprise defeat to England’s Harry Huang in the opening Group B tie before recovering to beat Finland’s Kalle Koljonen in Malaysia’s 5-0 win over Finland.
However, the 21-year-old was unable to overcome Japan’s Yushi Tanaka in Malaysia’s 2-3 defeat to Japan and later lost to China’s Li Shifeng in the quarter-finals as Malaysia bowed out 0-3.
Justin’s withdrawal leaves Malaysia with only two men’s singles representatives at the Thailand Open – Aidil Sholeh Ali Sadikin and two-time champion Lee Zii Jia.
Both players, however, must first navigate the qualifying rounds to secure places in the main draw.
