{
  "id": 14177390,
  "title": "Jun Hao left to rue slow start after early Denmark Open exit",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/13/jun-hao-left-to-rue-slow-start-after-early-denmark-open-exit",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-10-13T10:17:21.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "New Straits Times",
    "slug": "new-straits-times",
    "url": "https://www.nst.com.my/sports/badminton/2026/10/1554595/jun-hao-left-rue-slow-start-after-early-denmark-open-exit"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "KUALA LUMPUR - Malaysian men's singles shuttler Leong Jun Hao suffered a disappointing opening defeat at the Denmark Open after being outclassed by Japan's Koki Watanabe in the first round of the tournament. The world No. 30 player was overwhelmed by world No. 16 Watanabe, losing 21-6, 21-19 in a 40-minute match at the SJF Bank in Odense, Denmark. Jun Hao admitted that his overly defensive approach in the first game left him behind, and he struggled to regain control despite trying to up the tempo in the second game. Despite a few good shots, Jun Hao expressed dissatisfaction with his performance and acknowledged the need for more positivity and focus in his gameplay. The Malaysian had hoped for better results following his surprising upset of world No. 4 Jonatan Christie in the team event at the Asian Games. He had been preparing for the Denmark Open for a week post-Asiad but started sluggishly against Watanabe, suffering his eighth first-round exit of the year. Meanwhile, Hoo Pang Ron-Lai Pei Jing and Lim Chiew Sien faced early exits as well, with the latter pair suffering a 55-minute 3-set loss to Taiwan's Ye Hong Wei-Nicole Gonzales Chan.",
  "summary": "KUALA LUMPUR: Leong Jun Hao’s overly defensive approach proved costly as the men’s singles shuttler crashed out in the first round of the Denmark Open after losing to Japan’s Koki Watanabe in Odense on Tuesday.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}