Jacky falls short in Bangkok in first test as pro shuttler

KUALA LUMPUR: World No. 101 Jacky Kok, once tipped as Malaysia's next Lee Chong Wei, is struggling to cope with the demands of life as an independent player.

Jacky, who was dropped by the BA of Malaysia (BAM) in October, had been highly rated by former national coach Datuk Misbun Sidek. However, the 23-year-old has yet to fulfil his early promise.

Playing his first tournament as an independent shuttler, Jacky could not keep up with South Korea's world No. 35 Jeon Hyeok Jin, suffering a 21-13, 21-18 defeat in the men's singles second round at the Thailand Masters Super 300 in Bangkok on Thursday.

He was Malaysia's last hope in the men's singles following the earlier exits of Aidil Sholeh Ali Sadikin and Justin Hoh.

Jing Hong showed some fight, battling back from 20-13 to 20-18 in the second game, but Hyeok Jin eventually wrapped up the match in 43 minutes.

The Malaysian was once a rising star, having been part of the national squad that won the 2022 Asian Team Championships while also claiming the Swedish Open title the same year.

However, injuries and inconsistent form hampered his progress, leading to BAM axing him last year in a squad shake-up that saw only world No. 27 Leong Jun Hao, Justin Hoh (No. 55), Eogene Ewe (No. 102), and Ng Tze Yong (No. 272) retained.

Now, Jing Hong must rebuild from scratch, competing in International Challenge and Super 100 events to climb the rankings.

Meanwhile, Malaysia's women's doubles back-up pair Carmen Ting0Ong Xin Yee also crashed out in Bangkok, with the world No. 104 losing 21-17, 23-21 to Taiwan's world No. 81 Lin Xiao Min-Wang Yu Qiao in the second round.

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