KUALA LUMPUR: The mini revival Leong Jun Hao was hoping for at the European swing has gone flat.
Japan's world No. 16 Koki Watanabe once again exposed world No. 31 Jun Hao's weaknesses, beating him 21-15, 21-11 in the first round of the French Open in Paris on Tuesday.
It was the Malaysian men's singles' second consecutive first-round exit after last week's Denmark Open.
And time is running out for Jun Hao to safeguard his place in the national squad.
He has failed to reach the last eight in 15 tournaments this year, losing in the first round in nine of them.
In retrospect, BAM performance committee chairman Datuk Seri Lee Chong Wei had given Jun Hao a second chance after the shuttler risked losing his national spot in June due to indiscipline.
However, little has changed in his overall performance, apart from a win over then world No. 1 Jonatan Christie of Indonesia during the team event at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games last month.
That victory offered hope, but it was short-lived after Jun Hao suffered consecutive straight-game defeats to Watanabe, against whom he previously held the upper hand.
Earlier, Jun Hao had led Watanabe 4-1 in their head-to-head record, but the Japanese has now won their last three meetings to draw level.
Meanwhile, mixed doubles pair Jimmy Wong-Cheng Su Yin's inconsistency continued with a 22-20, 21-18 defeat to Indonesia's world No. 12 pair Amri Syahnawi-Nita Violina Marwah.
Former national mixed doubles head coach Nova Widianto formed the pair after Su Yin's partner Hoo Pang Ron left the national team to become an independent player.
Though world No. 41 Jimmy-Su Yin reached the semi-finals of the China Masters, Pang Ron-Lai Pei Jing have been producing better results. Pang Ron-Pei Jing finished runners-up at the China Masters and reached the semi-finals of the Macau Open and Denmark Open last week.
The independent pair eye a deep run at the French Open, but they must first overcome China's world No. 26 Gao Jia Xuan-Wu Meng Ying in a tricky opening match tomorrow.
Meanwhile, world No. 42 Wong Tien Ci-Lim Chiew Sien bowed out after a 21-12, 21-10 defeat to Taiwan's world No. 30 Wu Guan Xun-Lee Chia Hsin on Tuesday.
© New Straits Times Press (M) Bhd