KUALA LUMPUR – Malaysia’s men’s singles player, Leong Jun Hao, revealed that he had done his homework thoroughly to challenge Hong Kong’s Angus Ng Ka Long, in the Group D Thomas Cup action held in Chengdu, China today.
On paper, Jun Hao is ranked 10 spots below Angus, who stands at 27th in the world rankings.
In addition, they have never met in any international matches before.
However, Jun Hao showcased his quality in the team event by putting up a fierce fight against Angus, before securing a victory with a scoreline of 17-21, 21-12, 21-15 after battling for 70 minutes to earn the third point for Malaysia.
Indirectly, it also confirmed a win for the national team, although there are still two matches left involving men’s doubles pair, Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzudin Rumsani, and men’s singles player, Justin Hoh.
“I knew I would be facing Angus, and from the start, I prepared to challenge him by watching previous match videos. Today’s outcome proves that all my preparations paid off.
“I feel happy because we needed to secure points through one men’s singles and two men’s doubles matches, but I managed to contribute points for the country,” said Jun Hao.
Earlier, Malaysia’s top men’s singles player, Lee Zii Jia, had no trouble defeating Lee Cheuk Yiu with a score of 21-18, 21-18, before Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik contributed the second point for the country with a straight-set victory over Law Cheuk Him-Yeung Shing Choi, 21-16, 21-12.
The national squad remained in control as Sze Fei-Izzudin clinched the fourth point by defeating Reginald Lee Chun Hei-Tang Chun Man 21-19, 21-18.
Regardless of the result of Justin’s match against Chan Yin Chak, Malaysia’s victory over Hong Kong in the Group D opener remained unaltered. – April 27, 2024