KUALA LUMPUR: National singles coaching director Kenneth Jonassen believes Malaysian singles camp are in a good shape heading into the World Championships 2026 to be held in New Delhi from Aug 17-23 after showing encouraging progress in recent tournaments.
Jonassen said competing in the Japan Open 2026 and China Open 2026 recently formed an important part of the build-up, with the tournaments allowing players and coaches to identify areas that require further improvement before the season’s biggest event in Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium.
“Obviously, we got for some of the players got a good performance, but the main case of this is going to those two tournaments (Japan Open and China Open) learning a bit of what to put extra into your training going forward before the World Championships.
“I overall believe we’re in a good shape, good headspace going forward because there have been positive times and also indication that the player can actually perform at a very high level when they can control their emotions, fit to play, and have a good game plan,” he told reporters during training session, here, today.
The Dane said one of the players who had impressed him was national number one men’s singles shuttler Leong Jun Hao, who showed encouraging progress despite his early exits at the Japan Open 2026 and China Open 2026.
While the results may not have reflected his improvement, Jonassen said the 26-year-old has shown positive signs in his performances, particularly in executing his game plan and reading opponents better.
“I see confidence is obviously one thing, believing in what you do and able to execute your shots and your game plan.
“Also, strongly here is understanding the opponents, what they want to do against you and I think he took his chances,” he said.
The 52-year-old said Jun Hao and the coaching team have already identified areas that require further refinement ahead of the world meet with emphasis on strengthening his attacking game and improving decision-making.
While the world No. 28 has yet to break into at least the quarter-finals after 10 tournaments this year, Jun Hao has delivered promising performances against higher-ranked opponents.
Jun Hao suffered a 21-16, 11-21, 17-21 defeat to France’s world No. 5 Christo Popov in the second round of the Japan Open before falling 22-20, 11-21, 18-21 to China’s world No. 16 Weng Hong Yang in the same stage at the China Open.
— BERNAMA
