6 days ago
Jun Hao advances, Jin Wei falls at Indonesia Open
KUALA LUMPUR: Sole representative Leong Jun Hao kept Malaysia's hopes alive in the men's singles at the Indonesia Open with an assured display to check into the second round on Wednesday.
The world No. 25 dispatched Indonesia's world No. 44 Chico Aura Dwi Wardoyo 21-13, 21-12 in just 40 minutes at the Istora Senayan in Jakarta.
Jun Hao will now look to emulate, if not better, his stunning run at last year's edition of the Super 1000 tournament, where he reached the quarter-finals on debut after upsetting home favourite Jonatan Christie and Taiwan's Chou Tien Chen, before bowing out to China's Li Shi Feng.
He could be set for a rematch with world No. 4 Shi Feng in the last 16 - the reigning Asian Games gold medallist was still playing his opener against Brian Yang of Canada at press time.
Jun Hao is hoping to carry on the momentum from last week's Singapore Open, where his impressive campaign ended in the hands of Thailand's Kunlavut Vitidsarn, who went on to win the title and ascend to world No. 1.
The recent results mark a welcome turnaround for Jun Hao after a difficult start to the year, which saw him suffer five first-round exits in his first eight tournaments.
Meanwhile, in the women's singles, Goh Jin Wei's struggles continued after falling 22-20, 21-16 to Scotland's world No. 28 Kirsty Gilmour.
It was a bitter pill to swallow for the world No. 49, who nearly stole the first game despite being 15-7 down at one stage.
She mounted a remarkable fightback to level at 18-all and surged ahead 20-18, only to see Gilmour reel off the next four points.
It was only the second career meeting between the two - the first coming nearly a decade ago at the 2015 Belgian International final, where Jin Wei, then just 15, emerged victorious as a rising star.
The defeat marked Jin Wei's third successive first-round exit and her fifth in six World Tour events this year, continuing a worrying trend of inconsistency.
