KUALA LUMPUR – National men’s singles shuttler Leong Jun Hao is pleased with his performance in defeat while mixed doubles pair Chen Tang Jie-Toh Ee Wei continue their slump in the second round of the Indonesia Masters at the Istora Senayan Indoor Stadium in Jakarta today.
Jun Hao had a mountain to climb facing world number four and home favourite Anthony Sinisuka Ginting.
The world number 39 Malaysian put up a good fight, especially in the second set when he was trailing 17-11.
He managed to string together five points to close the score to 17-16, but Ginting responded and sealed the match 21-15, 21-17 in 53 minutes.
“I just tried to catch up to him point by point in the match. I did my best and played like I had nothing to lose.
“My aim was to return his shuttle when he was attacking and defend his smashes when he was pressuring me.
“I’m happy with my performance despite losing. You can learn a lot by playing against shuttlers like Ginting.
“How he focuses when under stress and how he pressures you with his attack… these are all valuable lessons,” said the 24-year-old to BWF in a post-match interview.
The 2017 Asia Junior champion has struggled with multiple injuries in recent times but has since recovered and started to get back on the winning trail by bagging the national championships in July and the KL Masters Super 100 in November last year.
Meanwhile, the struggles of world number nines Tang Jie and Ee Wei continued with another second-round exit.
Having won the first set, they could not keep up the momentum against world number 20 home pair Rehan Naufal Kusharjanto-Lisa Ayu Kusumawati.
The Indonesians, buoyed by a vociferous home crowd, staged a fightback to win the match in three sets 12-21, 21-13, 21-14 in an hour.
Tang Jie and Ee Wei’s defeat in this match follows their pattern of exiting in the last sixteen at both the Malaysia and India Opens. – January 25, 2024