KUALA LUMPUR: Leong Jun Hao may have bowed out of the Hong Kong Open quarter-finals, but the national No. 1 left the court with his head held high after pushing world No. 4 Li Shi Feng to the limit on Friday.
The world No. 23 came within a whisker of a famous upset in the decider, clawing back from 14-10 down and even becoming the first to reach match point at 20-19, only for Shi Feng to dig deep and snatch three straight points to seal a 22-20, 14-21, 22-20 victory.
Jun Hao had earlier shown his trademark grit, mounting a stunning comeback from 16-8 down to force deuce at 20-20 in the opening game before narrowly missing out.
He struck back to take the second, but it was the reigning Asian Games gold medallist who ultimately prevailed after a 78-minute gripping battle.
Despite the defeat, it was another encouraging performance from the 26-year-old, who was chasing his first World Tour semi-final of the season after also reaching the last eight at the Singapore Open in June.
© New Straits Times Press (M) Bhd
