Jun Hao clinches second world tour title with KL Masters win

KUALA LUMPUR - National singles shuttler Leong Jun Hao has clinched his second World Tour title after winning the 2023 Kuala Lumpur Masters Badminton Championship today.

He beat Taiwanese Lee Chia Hao 22-20, 21-13 in the 43-minute final match at Titiwangsa Stadium, starting the first set well to lead 11-6 before emerging victorious in a duel of points against the 37th ranked player.

Chia Hao tried to mount a comeback in the second set, but was let down by his errors in netplay, and was unable to stop Jun Hao from his well-deserved second World Tour title after the Indonesian Masters in Malang in October last year.

"Coming to this tournament I feel that I want to fight for the title and everyone is hoping for me to win the title here, so for sure the pressure will be on me and everything I do, play will be very tense so just keep on focusing until the last point,” he shared with reporters after his win today.

Jun Hao was not the only Malaysian to taste success today as national professional mixed doubles pair Chan Peng Soon-Cheah Yee See were crowned champions after beating Thais Pakkapon Teeraratsakul-Phataimas Muenwong.

The Malaysian pair worked hard for their title, winning the first set 21-9, then losing 17-21 in the second, and finally rising to the occasion and winning 21-10 in the 62-minute thriller, ending their six-year drought after their last title win in the Russian Open in 2017.

Unfortunately, national professional men’s doubles pair Low Hang Yee-Ng Eng Cheong failed in their attempt to make it a Malaysian treble when they lost to Taiwanese pair Chen Cheng Kuan-Chen Sheng Fa 21-23, 17-21. - BERNAMA