PETALING JAYA: National men’s singles shuttler Leong Jun Hao faltered when it mattered the most after losing in straight sets to China’s Li Shi Feng at the Japan Masters final at the Kumamoto Prefectural Gymnasium.
The world number 31 struggled to replicate his good form when he lost 10-21, 13-21 to the world number 6.
Leong had earlier clawed his way in the semi-finals to overcome world number six Jonatan 10-21, 21-18, 22-20 in 77 minutes.
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On his route to his first final in a BWF World Tour Super 500 event, the unseeded Leong reportedly sent home Japanese opponent Kodai Naraoka during the quarter finals on Friday (Nov 15) in one hour and 20 minutes.
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