KUALA LUMPUR: Shuttler Leong Jun Hao's bid for a third successive men's singles quarter-final appearance on the World Tour fell short as he lost to world No. 8 Kodai Naraoka in the second round of the Japan Open today.
Jun Hao battled valiantly for 85 minutes before losing 21-23, 21-10, 21-15 to Naraoka at Yokohama Arena in Kanagawa, marking his first defeat to the latter.
At one stage, Jun Hao looked capable of pulling off an upset after opening up an 11-9 lead at the third game interval.
The duel was closely fought until 13-13 before Naraoka, known for his endurance, stepped up his game to chalk up eight of the next 10 points and seal the deal.
Jun Hao had not lost to Naraoka prior to today's clash, with his previous two wins dating back to 2017 and 2019.
Still, it was a commendable showing from Jun Hao, who continued to demonstrate that his game is trending in the right direction.
Jun Hao has become accustomed to beating the world's top 10 players, with wins recorded over Indonesian aces Jonatan Christie and Anthony Ginting, and Taiwan's Chou Tien Chen in June, en route to reaching the last eight of Singapore Open and Indonesia Open.
Currently ranked 27th in the world, Jun Hao is the country's third highest-ranked player behind Lee Zii Jia (sixth) and Ng Tze Yong (22nd).
It seems only a matter of time before Jun Hao surpasses Tze Yong, who has been sidelined with a back injury since February.
In the men's doubles, Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin Rumsani reached the last-16, while Choong Hon Jian-Haikal Nazri's campaign ended.
Sze Fei-Izzuddin defeated Liu Kuang Heng-Yang Po Han of Taiwan 21-14, 24-22 and will now face Indonesia's Fajar Alfian-Muhammad Rian Ardianto.
Fajar-Rian secured their spot by staving off Hon Jian-Haikal's challenge to win 16-21, 21-8, 21-15.
Sze Fei-Izzuddin will need some inspiration if they are to beat Fajar-Rian for only the second time.
The Indonesians hold a dominant head-to-head record, winning eight of their previous nine matches.