Malaysia’s men’s singles campaign at the Indian Open came to an early end after Leong Jun Hao was forced to retire from his first-round match against Japan’s Yushi Tanaka due to illness.
The 26-year-old shuttler struggled from the start, losing the opening game 5-21 before trailing 3-8 in the second. He eventually withdrew from the match at the Indira Gandhi Sports Complex in New Delhi on Wednesday (Jan 14) after his condition worsened.
Men’s singles coach K. Yogendran confirmed that Jun Hao was battling a high fever, which had begun a day earlier.
“Jun Hao started having a fever on Tuesday (Jan 13), and it got worse today,” Yogendran said.
Jun Hao’s withdrawal marked the end of Malaysia’s participation in the men’s singles category at the tournament. Earlier in the day, Justin Hoh was also eliminated after a straight-games defeat to China’s Lu Guangzu, losing 17-21, 15-21.
