Jun Hao finds the No. 1 mantle too heavy in season of slump

KUALA LUMPUR: If anything, 2025 may ultimately be remembered as the year that slipped away for Leong Jun Hao.

The stage appeared perfectly set for the 26-year-old to finally blossom after years of knocking on the door, but instead of moving forward, his progress went in reverse.

Circumstances had seemingly tilted in his favour when Olympic bronze medallist Lee Zii Jia spent most of the year sidelined with injury.

With Zii Jia out, Jun Hao inherited the mantle of national No. 1 — a title that naturally comes with expectation and responsibility.

Yet rather than capitalising on the opportunity, Jun Hao struggled badly.

A year-on-year comparison paints a stark picture of his regression.

In 2024, he enjoyed a career-best runner-up finish at the Kumamoto Masters Super 500 and reached three quarter-finals, including decent runs at the Indonesia Open Super 1000 and Singapore Open Super 750.

This year, the returns were far leaner. While he did salvage a bronze medal in the men's individual event and silver in team at the recently concluded Thailand SEA Games, his World Tour campaign told a worrying story.

His best results were limited to quarter-final appearances at the Hong Kong Open Super 500 and Singapore Open.

More alarmingly, Jun Hao failed to get past the second round in 17 tournaments, bowing out at the first hurdle in 11 of them — an untenable statistic for a player carrying the national No. 1 label.

Jun Hao himself did not shy away from acknowledging the dip in form, admitting that his performances this year fell short of his own expectations.

"For me, this year's performances clearly had shortcomings and I'm not satisfied with my own results because the achievements were not what I expected and did not meet my targets," he said.

He also conceded that maintaining consistency from one tournament to another remains his biggest challenge, with stamina now a key area he believes must be addressed moving forward.

"I'm not saying I'm tired from playing day after day, but consistency is still lacking and what needs to be prioritised after this is stamina during tournaments," he said at Academy Badminton Malaysia in Bukit Kiara today (Dec 23).

To his credit, Jun Hao did deliver when it mattered at the Sudirman Cup, playing a role in Malaysia's bronze-medal finish.

His standout contribution came with a crucial victory over Japan's Kodai Naraoka.

He also registered notable top-10 wins over the likes of China's Li Shi Feng and Indonesia's Jonatan Christie, but isolated scalps count for little if they are not backed by deep tournament runs.

Looks set to end the year at world No. 28, Jun Hao remains determined to force his way back into the world's top 20 — a mission he admits will not be easy, but one he knows must be realised.