Jun Hao suffers 8th first-round exit this year

Leong Jun Hao made too many unforced errors to lose his opening round match 6-21, 19-21. (Bernama pic) PETALING JAYA: National men’s singles shuttler Leong Jun Hao suffered his eighth first-round exit of the year after losing to Japan’s Koki Watanabe at the Denmark Open.

The world No 30 made too many unforced errors, particularly in the first game, as he went down 6-21, 19-21 to the world No 16 in 40 minutes.

Jun Hao has not made it past the second round in the 14 tournaments he played this year, with eight of those campaigns ending in the opening round.

Jun Hao, who is currently Malaysia’s top men’s singles player, was warned by the Badminton Association of Malaysia officials earlier this year over some disciplinary incidents.

Pang Ron-Pei Jing fight back to beat Spanish pair

National mixed doubles shuttlers Hoo Pang Ron-Lai Pei Jing fought back to beat a higher-ranked Spanish pair in straight games and advance to the second round.

The world No 51 pair defeated the world no 40 pair Ruben Garcia-Lucia Rodriguez 21-18, 21-16 in 37 minutes.

They trailed 4-11 at one stage in the opening game before mounting a comeback to take the game.

A tougher test awaits them in the next round, where they will face Thailand’s Dechapol Puavaranukroh-Supissara Paewsampran, the world No 6 pair.

The Thais beat the Malaysians in their only previous meeting at the Indonesia Open in June.

Meanwhile, another mixed doubles pair Wong Tien Ci-Lim Chiew Sien crashed out in the opening round after losing to Taiwan’s Ye Hong Wei-Nicole Gonzales Chan 21-19, 16-21, 19-21 in 55 minutes.