Leong Jun Hao’s highly anticipated return to Japan ended in disappointment as the world No. 24 was outclassed by defending champion Alex Lanier in the opening round of the Japan Open on Tuesday.
The 26-year-old Malaysian couldn’t find his rhythm and went down 21-12, 21-14 to Lanier, the 20-year-old rising star currently ranked world No. 8. Lanier, who claimed his breakthrough Super 750 title at this very event last year, proved too strong in their first career encounter.
Jun Hao had hoped to replicate the impressive form he showed at the Kumamoto Masters last November—where he finished runner-up—or his recent upset over world No. 4 Jonatan Christie at the Singapore Open in May. But this time, the consistency wasn’t there.
This early exit marks Jun Hao’s first first-round defeat in his last three tournaments, a setback as he had been slowly building momentum after a rocky start to the season. Despite the result, there’s still hope he can bounce back and regain the spark that had fans excited about his resurgence.
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