PETALING JAYA: National singles coaching director Kenneth Jonassen admitted he was disappointed that none of his players progressed to the second round of the Malaysian Masters.
Leong Jun Hao and Justin Hoh's losses in the first round on Wednesday (May 20) ended Malaysia's men's singles challenge in the home tournament at the Unifi Arena in Bukit Jalil.
Jonassen acknowledged that both were still trying to regain their confidence after their disappointing outings in the Thomas Cup in Horsens three weeks ago.
Jun Hao lost 19-21, 21-13 to former world junior champion Hu Zhean of China, while Justin went down 16-21, 14-21 to Anthony Ginting.
"The turnaround after the Thomas Cup did not give us enough time to rebuild our confidence because it was difficult for the players to come back after that disappointment. That was clearly evident today as we were lacking confidence in our game," said Jonassen.
Jonassen was especially disappointed for Jun Hao, who was unable to capitalise on strong support from the home crowd at the Unifi Arena in Bukit Jalil against Hu despite the recent controversy surrounding him.
"We did not manage to get the crowd on our side for long enough to add pressure. We were kind of our own showstoppers that made unforced mistakes when we kind of won a couple of points.
"At home, especially here, it is important to get the crowd on your side. It puts pressure on the opponents and forces them into bad decisions. We did not manage to do that," he said.
He added that he felt the players wanted to play a game that was not suited to the modern game, where they tried to win through power shots or fancy shots.
