A matter of Hao fast
Youngster plans speedy rise in world rankings
PETALING JAYA:
National singles shuttler Leong Jun Hao is a man in a hurry.
The 18-year-old, fresh from his Thomas Cup debut last week, has set his sights on breaking the world top 50 bracket within the next few months.
Jun Hao has moved from No. 94 to No. 77 in the latest Badminton World Federation (BWF)’s world rankings released yesterday – a week after Malaysia’s quarter- final finish in the Finals in Bangkok.
And he hopes to build on it when he competes in the US Open in Fullerton from June 12-17.
“My goal is to improve my ranking in the second half of the year. My immediate target is to reach top 50 first,” said Jun Hao, who started the year at No. 215.
“To achieve that, I must reach at least the quarter-finals in every World Tour event that I take part in. I also want to reach the finals of the International Challenge and International Series tournaments.
“Ultimately, I want to be ranked high enough to play in top-tier tournaments next year.”
Since joining the senior ranks, the Asian Junior champion has impressed by finishing as runners- up in the Malaysian International Challenge last November and Thailand Masters in January before capturing the Finnish Open for his breakthrough victory in April.
Jun Hao is confident of a good outing in the US. His path to the last eight looks clear if he can overcome fourth seed Khosit Phetpradab of Thailand in the first round.
If Jun Hao beat Khosit, he should have no problem beating Vietnamese Pham Cao Cuong or Jason Anthony Ho-Shue of Canada in the second round.
“I haven’t met Khosit before but I believe I can beat him if I bring out my A-game,” vowed 2017 World Junior runner-up Jun Hao.
On his Thomas Cup outing, he said: “It gives me goosebumps just to recall the moment, to be part of a tournament of the highest level played in a packed stadium.
“I’ve certainly learned a thing or two throughout the week.
“It’s amazing to see how the top players manage their game and handle the pressure on big occasions. Now I know what it takes to deal with such an atmosphere.”