National coach Kenneth Jonassen hopes Leong Jun Hao can reproduce last year’s fighting spirit at the Kumamoto Masters Japan 2025
NATIONAL men’s singles coach Kenneth Jonassen is counting on Leong Jun Hao to reproduce the form he displayed last year at the Kumamoto Masters Japan 2025.
Jonassen warned that Jun Hao, last year’s runner-up, must now take his game to a higher level.
“No question about it… last year was a major breakthrough for him,” Jonassen told reporters today.
“He came a little bit out of nowhere, at that time. I was coaching from the outside, but the tenacity and the fighting spirit he showed were outstanding.”
The coach said Jun Hao surprised many with his performance last year.
“I hope that this year, at the same venue, he will reproduce the same kind of fighting spirit.”
Jonassen noted that 12 months have passed and Jun Hao is no longer an unknown entity to opponents.
“His opponents have studied his game and that will make his task a lot more difficult when he starts his campaign tomorrow.”
Jun Hao begins his campaign against India’s H. S. Prannoy in the opening round.
Both players have beaten each other once, with Prannoy winning their most recent encounter at the 2022 Thomas Cup Finals.
Jonassen is also eager to see how Justin Hoh performs against Japan’s Shogo Ogawa in his opening match.
“Justin has been working on new things, but he mustn’t forget who he is as a player,” the coach said.
“It has to be a combination. It’s always a hard task to beat a Japanese player on their home ground, so I want to see how he handles the pressure.” – Bernama
