PETALING JAYA: So close yet so far for Leong Jun Hao.
The men’s singles shuttler gave world No. 9 Li Shifeng a tough fight in the second round of the World Championships, but his best was still not enough to pull off an upset.
Jun Hao, who has been struggling for form in recent months, matched the Chinese player closely in both games and was in the contest right until the end.
But Shifeng’s power and consistency proved the difference as Jun Hao went down 19-21, 19-21 in 62 minutes.
“Overall, it was quite a thrilling match. There were a lot of ups and downs and we fought for every point until the end.
“The most difficult part was probably his power and consistency, which made me uncomfortable on court.
“I just kept thinking about how to win each point and tried different things to find a way through,” ” said Jun Hao in a post-match interview with the BWF.
Jun Hao endured a similar heartbreak at last year’s edition in Paris, where he also bowed out in the second round after pushing Japan’s Kenta Nishimoto to the limit before losing 21-17, 13-21, 23-25.
His defeat also ended Malaysia’s challenge in the men’s singles, with Justin Hoh having lost to All-England champion Lin Chun-yi in the opening round.
There was disappointment too for women’s singles shuttler K. Letshanaa, who went down 16-21, 9-21 to world No. 3 Wang Zhiyi.
Letshanaa, however, was encouraged by her performance and felt the match showed how much she has improved.
“I think it was a good match and I have improved quite a lot,” said Letshanaa.
“The top players are very consistent. It’s not easy to finish the rallies and get that important point.
“So I would say there are a lot of positives I can take from this match, and it was also another good experience for me playing against her for the third time.”
Meanwhile, Goh Soon Huat-Shevon Lai Jemie have a Chinese jinx to break if they are to reach the quarter-finals today.
They will take on Zhang Chi-Cheng Xing but have only won three of their five previous meetings, including at the Malaysian Open last year.
Said Shevon: “When our body condition is good, I think it gives us a bit more advantage and we feel more confident no matter who we come up against. Coming here, I think we had a really good few weeks of preparation back in Malaysia.
Soon Huat-Shevon reached the third round after beating Americans Chen Zhi Yi-Francesca Corbett 21-15, 21-16 yesterday.
