Our national singles coaching director, Kenneth Jonassen, was pleased with their performance. He was impressed by the form of Malaysia’s four singles players in their quarter-final matches. The athletes have successfully secured four wins against a diverse range of opponents, demonstrating their readiness as they prepare for an upcoming tie against Japan.
Leong Jun Hao then made his mark for Malaysia as he beat Arnaud Merkle of France. This was followed by Justin Hoh, who provided Team USA with its most decisive victory, defeating Australia’s Shrey Dand completely 4-0. On the women’s side, Goh Jin Wei had an impressive performance against Leonice Huet. As for K. Letshanaa, she had no issues getting past Teoh Kai Qi to clinch her point. The success of Leong Jun Hao and Justin Hoh in men’s singles, alongside Goh Jin Wei and K. Letshanaa in women’s singles, showcased the depth and talent within the Malaysian team.
Jonassen highlighted the significance of these performances, stating, “Overall, it’s very positive. Four players have been on court, four wins, and obviously against four different levels of opponents. Overall, we adapted well and stuck to the plan, so I’m pretty pleased.”
While encouraged by these strong early results, Jonassen noted that much refinement is still needed in advance of the higher-stakes matches that lie ahead. He credited his players for coming out and taking care of business. He emphasized the importance of focusing on details to improve their game. “Of course, there are some details in every match that we need to look into and improve to reach the next level,” he stated. Going forward, our opponents across the remainder of the tournament will similarly be higher quality, which requires us to operate with the proper game plan, discipline and understanding of when to operate outside the game plan. It takes a great deal of variety, but we can’t be everything to everyone — we need to capitalize on our strengths.
As Malaysia prepares to meet Japan next, Jonassen says it’s all about using tactics smartly. He’s been big on breaking down the weaknesses of their opponents. “So that will be the focus for today and tomorrow before our match against Japan,” he remarked during an interview with the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM).
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