KUALA LUMPUR: Rising star Justin Hoh is in no hurry to establish himself as one of the World Tour elites.
The 20-year-old believes he can chart his own path without having to be compared with his peers.
Alex Lanier, at 19, is one of those who has stood out this year, securing his breakthrough by winning the Japan Open in August.
The French star defeated three world top-10 stars: Lee Zii Jia, China's Shi Yu Qi and Taiwan's Chou Tien Chen en route to the title.
Lanier then built on his success by reaching the semi-finals of the Denmark Open last month and is currently ranked a career-best No 15.
"I'm aware that some players from the same batch have started to peak, but I just have to be patient," said Justin, who's ranked No 48.
"I can't rush it because I had an Achilles injury to deal with previously, so it's going to be one step at a time for me."
To Justin's credit, he has made good progress since the injury which sidelined him for close to seven months in 2023 and the first two months of this year.
He made three finals in satellite tournaments, winning two of them between May and July.
By breaking into the top 50 from a lowly No 223 in May, Justin has been able to play in several World Tour events, including a Hong Kong Open debut.
He performed admirably to push Rasmus Gemke to three games before losing in the first round.
He reached three quarter-finals: in the Taiwan Open, where he lost to Tien Chen, as well as the Kaohsiung Masters and Malaysia Super 100.
"I gained invaluable experience from tournaments. I have had the opportunity to play against top opponents, and I now know where my standard is and how much I need to catch up," said Justin.
Regarding the new national men's singles head coach candidates, Justin is hoping whoever comes in can help take his game to greater heights.
Asked what kind of coach he prefers, Justin said: "A coach who emphasises discipline. But every coach has their own good points, and I want to pick up as much knowledge from them.
"More importantly, there must be trust between us. I'm counting on them to help me achieve a high level."
Justin will be playing in the Korea Masters next week, with a daunting first-round match against former World Championships bronze medallist Kantaphon Wangcharoen of Thailand awaiting him.