PETALING JAYA: Men’s singles shuttler Leong Jun Hao suffered his seventh first round exit this season, after he was beaten by Indonesian player Alwi Farhan in straight games at the Korea Open today.
The world No 20 lost 19-21, 24-26 to Alwi, who is ranked a notch above him, in a match that lasted an hour. It was also their first encounter.
Jun Hao was also a first-round casualty at the Malaysia Open, the Indonesia Open, the All-England, the Badminton Asia Championships, the Malaysia Masters, and the Japan Open before this.
Currently the nation’s top singles player, he has reached the quarter-finals only twice this year.