Facing the storm alone
PETALING JAYA: Fire is the test of gold, and adversity, of strong men.
This age-old saying rings true for national singles shuttler Leong Jun Hao, who is set to face a tough run of tournaments – the Japan and China Opens ahead of his debut in the World Championships from Aug 25-31 in Paris.
The Japan Open starts today in Tokyo, followed by the China Open next week in Changzhou where most of the world's top 10 players will be competing.
World No. 24 Jun Hao is Malaysia's sole representative in the men's singles following Lee Zii Jia's withdrawal, and the road ahead is anything but easy.
Jun Hao will face a baptism of fire from the start in Tokyo, as he takes on defending champion and world No. 8 Alex Lanier of France in the opening round of the Japan Open.
The 24-year-old will need to dig deep for a timely boost before the world meet and prove that he belongs on badminton's biggest stage.
Singles coaching director Kenneth Jonassen believes that the two Opens would be good preparation for Jun Hao for the world meet as he will face a similar challenge in Paris.
'I think the Japan and China Opens are quite important in our preparations for the World Championships,' said Kenneth.
'It will give us the best indication of what we need to go back and prepare for the remaining three weeks before the world meet.
'For me, the the world meet is the big event. Of course we want to do well in Japan and China but I'm there to gather more information on how to approach the world meet.'
Jun Hao, who turned 26 on Sunday, has had a difficult first half of the year but Kenneth has seen positives in his charge's last two tournaments - the Singapore and Indonesian Opens - and hopes he can build on his showings.
The 2017 Asian junior champion reached the quarter-finals in Singapore and second round in Indonesia.
'I have been trying to evaluate what has been working for Jun Hao recently.
''The court conditions in Japan are different from what we encountered in Singapore and Indonesia, so it's a slightly different approach we need to focus on,' said Kenneth.
'For me, it's basically to understand his own game and shot selection throughout like when to take the initiative and when to allow the opponent to try to open up his game.
'If we are too aggressive all the time, we kind of leave the court a little bit too open but I feel in both Singapore and Indonesia, he managed it really well.
'We've seen it a couple of times when he gets the shot selection correctly, he is a very tricky opponent for anybody to play against,' added Kenneth.
Hopes are high that Jun Hao will come through the tests with flying colours.
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