Jun Hao sees new challenge as morale booster despite higher pressure
PETALING JAYA: Becoming the national No. 1 could be just the right tonic for men's singles shuttler Leong Jun Hao as he seeks to step up in the second half of the year.
Jun Hao, who has been inconsistent so far this year, is determined to raise his game after overtaking Lee Zii Jia in the world rankings.
The former moved up one spot to No. 25 in the latest rankings while the latter dropped two rungs to No. 28 last week after hardly competing this year due to an ankle injury.
While Jun Hao acknowledged that expectations will be higher on him, he is motivated by his new status.
'Definitely there is pressure but for me, becoming national No. 1 also boosts my spirits and I'm taking this as a new challenge,' said Jun Hao after a training session at the Academy Badminton Malaysia (ABM) in Bukit Kiara yesterday.
'Earlier this year, my performances have not been good enough as I needed time to adapt and learn new things under coach Kenneth (Jonassen).
'Now, I believe I am getting better at knowing which strategies I need to use in matches.'
Dane Jonassen joined the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) in January as singles coaching director and has been working hard to turn Jun Hao's fortunes around.
Jun Hao's best performance this year came in the Singapore Open last month where he stunned Indonesia's world No. 4 Jonatan Christie en route to the quarter-finals.
The 25-year-old also showed glimpses of his ability when he pulled off sensational wins over China's world No. 5 Li Shifeng and Japan's world No. 7 Kodai Naraoka in the Indian Open in January and Sudirman Cup in April.
Jun Hao though has not managed to maintain his form and wants to change this in the second half of the year, starting with the back-to-back Japan Open from July 15-20 and China Open from July 22-27.
The 2017 Asian Junior champion has been making full use of more than a month of full training and believes the break from tournaments has been beneficial for him as he seeks to improve himself.
'There are big tournaments coming up and I have been focusing more on adding variety to my game during training,' said Jun Hao.
'Usually, players hardly get much time to rest (due to the hectic tournament schedule), so I'm taking full advantage of having more than a month to prepare for the next competitions.'
Meanwhile, Zii Jia will be making his return from injury in the Japan Open after last competing in the All-England in March.
The draw for the competition will be released on July 8.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New Straits Times
an hour ago
- New Straits Times
China Open breakthrough fires up Pei Kee-Mei Xing for bigger targets
KUALA LUMPUR: Go Pei Kee-Teoh Mei Xing 's impressive China Open run has fired up their ambitions to win a World Tour title next, whether on Super 300 or Super 500-level tournaments. The world No. 22 reached their first-ever Super 1000 quarter-final in Changzhou yesterday before falling to world No. 9 Jia Yi Fan-Zhang Shu Xian. The Chinese pair, featuring an Olympic champion in Yi Fan, proved too strong, winning 21-7, 21-15 in just 34 minutes. Despite the defeat, the Malaysians left Changzhou with the belief that they can now contend on the World Tour. "I think this has been our best performance of the year so far. Of course, it's a bit disappointing that we couldn't keep it going today," said Mei Xing. "But credit to our opponents — they played really well and we just couldn't match their speed. "Mei Xing noted that Yi Fan-Shu Xian's chemistry has grown significantly since pairing up earlier this season. Friday's loss was Pei Kee-Mei Xing's fourth consecutive defeat to the Chinese combination. "Their rotation and shot selection are more mature now. They're faster, stronger and more tactically complete," she said. "Compared to our last matches, their shots and rotations were sharper and harder to deal with. What we can learn from them is definitely their speed, power, and tactical execution." The China Open marks another step forward in what has been a promising season for Pei Kee-Mei Xing. They also reached the quarter-finals at the Indonesia Masters (Super 500), Orleans Masters and German Open (both Super 300) earlier this year. Their only triumph to date remains the Malaysia Super 100 title in October last year. Buoyed by their form, the pair now hope to challenge for a Super 300 or 500 title before year-end. Their next stop is the Macau Open next week, a Super 300 event where they are seeded fourth. With many top pairs skipping Macau, they will be aiming to ride their momentum all the way. "We hope to build on this momentum. Hopefully in the coming months, we can push for a title at a Super 500 or 300 tournament," said Mei Xing.
The Star
an hour ago
- The Star
Mei Xing-Pei Kee's run ends in China Open last eight
PETALING JAYA: Women's doubles shuttlers Teoh Mei Xing-Go Pei Kee's run in the China Open ended in the last eight after they were beaten by world No. 7 home pair Jia Yifan-Zhang Shuxian. Mei Xing-Pei Kee found the Chinese duo too hot to handle and lost out 7-21, 15-21 in 34 minutes at the Olympic Sports Centre Gymnasium in Changzhou on Friday (July 25). Despite the defeat, the world No. 22 pair can be encouraged by their outing after making it into the quarter-finals of a World Tour Super 1000 tourney for the first time. Mei Xing-Pei Kee stole the show when they stunned Japan's world No. 8 Rin Iwanaga-Kie Nakanishi in the second round on Thursday (July 24).
New Straits Times
2 hours ago
- New Straits Times
Pei Kee-Mei Xing bow out after breakthrough Super 1000 run in China
KUALA LUMPUR: Go Pei Kee-Teoh Mei Xing's impressive run at the China Open came to an end on Friday after the world No. 22 were outplayed 21-7, 21-15 by China's world No. 7 Jia Yi Fan-Zhang Shu Xian in the women's doubles quarter-finals. Despite the defeat, Pei Kee-Mei Xing can hold their heads high after making it this far for the first time in a Super 1000 tournament — marking a new milestone in their partnership. Their campaign in Changzhou will be best remembered for their stunning win over Japan's world No. 8 Rin Iwanaga-Kie Nakanishi in the last 16.
