KUALA LUMPUR: World No. 29 Leong Jun Hao fell at the first hurdle of the China Masters today, dashing hopes for another memorable performance.
Fans were eager to see the Malaysian replicate his giant-killing run from the Kumamoto Masters, where he defeated four higher-ranked players to finish as runner-up.
However, Jun Hao appeared sluggish on court, succumbing 21-12, 21-11 to Japan's world No. 36 Takuma Obayashi in the opening round of the Super 750 event in Shenzhen.
Jun Hao will now return to Kuala Lumpur to prepare for next year's campaign.