SHUTTLER Leong Jun Hao hopes that his impressive win over world No 16 Kenta Nishimoto in Thursday's Thomas Cup tie between Malaysia and Japan will relaunch his fading career.
After all, it has been four years since Jun Hao highlighted his potential to be a top player.
In 2017, the then 18-year-old Jun Hao capped a memorable season by winning the Asian Junior Championships. He also finished runners-up at the World Junior Championships.
He even got off to a promising start at the senior level by winning the Finish Open and reaching the final of the Thailand Masters in 2018.
But a serious left hip injury at the end of 2018 curtailed his progress.
Now four years on, Jun Hao, 22, has not really kicked off at the senior stage.
His nagging injuries and the Covid-19 pandemic last year left him ranked No 119.
In contrast, Jun Hao's opponent at the world junior meet in 2017 — Thailand's Kunlavut Vitidsarn has gone to become a top competitor in senior badminton.
The 20-year-old Thai is now ranked No 23 in the world and has been enjoying a superb run of form, having beaten world No 14 K. Srikanth and world No 10 Shi Yuqi at the Sudirman Cup earlier this month.
Kunlavut also notched wins over world No 11 Wang Tzu Wei of Taiwan and world No 7 Jonatan Christie of Indonesia in the ongoing Thomas Cup in Aarhus, Denmark.
Thus Jun Hao's 21-19, 21-18 win over the more experienced Nishimoto on Thursday could not have come at a better time.
The win did not change the outcome of the tie as Japan defeated Malaysia 4-1. However, Jun Hao has shown that he cannot be underestimated.
"Although we were already trailing against Japan, I was not really thinking about it as we had already qualified for the quarter-finals," Jun Hao told Bernama.
"Nishimoto is a top player, so I just took to the court and focused on earning the points and building my confidence.
"I was a bit nervous as it was my first competition since the Spanish Masters in May. However, I was determined to give it my all."
Meanwhile, BA of Malaysia (BAM) coaching director Wong Choong Hann praised Jun Hao for his calm performance on court.
"It was a really good win for him. He managed to overcome the deficit to beat Nishimoto," said Choong Hann.
"His performance definitely offers us confidence going forward as he can shoulder the responsibility and overcome the pressure to win points in team events."
Malaysia took on top seeds Indonesia in the quarter-finals late yesterday.
