Shuttlers Justin, Letshanaa urged to conquer pressure

New Straits Times

4 days ago

KUALA LUMPUR: Shuttlers Justin Hoh (men's singles) and K. Letshanaa (women's singles) must start believing in themselves and learn to handle pressure if they want to make an impact on the World Tour.
National coach K. Yogendran said both shuttlers are putting in the work at training, but it isn't translating into results during tournaments.
The frailties were evident at recent World Tour events.
World No. 48 Justin crashed out in the second round of the US Open and suffered a first-round exit at the Canada Open despite aiming for the quarter-finals or better.
World No. 40 Letshanaa, Malaysia's top-ranked women's singles player, pulled off a shock win over Japan's 2017 world champion Nozomi Okuhara (No. 47) in the US Open first round en route to the quarter-finals.
But a week later, she bowed out in round two of the Canada Open.
Both were Super 300-level tournaments.
"Justin and Letshanaa are training very hard, and we expected something special at the US and Canada Opens," said Yogendran.
"Justin really wanted to prove himself. He placed a lot of pressure on himself and that became a burden.
"Letshanaa, meanwhile, started feeling pressure after beating Nozomi. But it's still a breakthrough for her. It will boost her belief that she can beat top players."
Yogendran said it's normal for young players to struggle with consistency and confidence but insisted progress would come if they trusted the process.
The coach also pointed out that Justin, 21, is still working his way back after surgery for a torn Achilles tendon last year — an injury that sidelined him for almost a year.
He believes the guidance of national coaching director Kenneth Jonassen, who helped shape Olympic champion Viktor Axelsen and world No. 2 Anders Antonsen, could prove crucial.
"Justin is going through a thorny phase in his career after missing a year to injury," said Yogendran.
"Both players are now competing in tougher Super 300 tournaments. Previously, they were mostly playing International Challenge, Series and Super 100 events.
"Jonassen has seen it all — he's worked with top players who faced similar struggles early on. We're also trying to simulate pressure-filled situations in training to help the players better adapt to real match conditions."
Justin and Letshanaa will be aiming for redemption at the Super 300 Macau Open from July 29-Aug 3, using the lessons learnt in the US and Canada.