KUALA LUMPUR: Leong Jun Hao was unable to replicate his heroics from last week's Kumamoto Masters as he crashed out in the first round of the China Masters today.
Fatigue appeared to take its toll on the world No. 29, who was pushed to three games in all his matches en route to the Kumamoto final, where he lost to China's Li Shi Feng.
Jun Hao looked a shadow of the gritty competitor from Japan and succumbed tamely to world No. 36 Takuma Obayashi.
The match lasted just 38 minutes, with Japanese Obayashi cruising to a 21-12, 21-11 victory at the Shenzhen Gymnasium.
Jun Hao admitted that he struggled to find his rhythm.
"I tried my best, but I could not get my game going against Obayashi," he told the Badminton World Federation.
"Travelling here was tough. I didn't test the courts upon arrival and couldn't adapt to the conditions."
Despite the setback, he remains optimistic about his season and is already eyeing improvements for next year.
"I am pleased with how my season ended and will keep trying to improve my ranking," he said.
"For next year, I want to work on everything — conditioning, recovery and strength on the court. Whatever I feel needs improvement, I'll focus on it with positivity."