Lakshya drops in, Jun Hao dials up for Malaysia Open [WATCH]

KUALA LUMPUR: Leong Jun Hao received a timely boost ahead of next week's Malaysia Open after top Indian player Lakshya Sen joined the national squad for training at Academy Badminton Malaysia (ABM) on Friday.

National coaching director Kenneth Jonassen said world No. 28 Jun Hao and other men's singles players would benefit from sparring with the world No. 13.

"Lakshya has joined our training ahead of the Malaysia Open. He has agreed to play practice matches with some of the national shuttlers. I hope our players will gain from this," said Jonassen.

"The sparring sessions and training quality bring mutual benefits for both parties."

Jonassen said Lakshya offers a different mindset in training due to his quality and speed.

"This type of training would be better if you have more opportunities with such players daily. He will be sparring with us for two days before all players shift their base to the Axiata Arena to test the courts from Sunday.

The Malaysia Open, a Super 1000 event, starts on Tuesday.

Lakshya, who opens his campaign against Singapore's world No. 21 Jason Teh, ended last year by winning the Super 500 Australia Open in November.

The Paris Olympic semi-finalist is not the first foreign player to train at ABM.

Two-time Olympic champion Viktor Axelsen trained at the centre in 2023, while world No. 3 Anders Antonsen also utilised the facility last year.

Jonassen said several other European shuttlers were scheduled to train at ABM but changed their plans.

"I am very open to any foreign players as long as it fits our schedule. A few players who were supposed to come here had to cancel due to personal matters," he said.

Jonassen said the Malaysia Open is a good chance for the national singles shuttlers to bounce back from last season's below-par results.

Jun Hao will face China's world No. 29 Wong Zheng Xing in the first round.

"Zheng Xing is unpredictable, and if you allow him to dictate the match, you will be in trouble.

"An opponent must put early pressure on the Chinese shuttler for a good opportunity to win," said Jonassen.

He reminded Jun Hao that he must perform at the highest level to progress in the tournament.

"If you don't do that, you will be knocked out early. But based on what I see in training, he is slowly showing positive changes.

"He is beginning to accept that consistency and effort must come from within himself.

A victory against Zheng Xing would be a boost for Jun Hao, who lost in the first round of several tournaments last year.

World No. 144 Lee Zii Jia, who is making a comeback after a long layoff, is the other Malaysian representative in the men's singles.

No Malaysian qualified for the women's singles event.