PETALING JAYA: National men’s singles shuttler Justin Hoh will continue to take it slow and steady in his bid to move up the rankings.
Justin, who only made his return from a series of injuries in March, saw his patience pay off when he won his first title in more than a year in the lower tier Slovenian Open on Sunday.
The 20-year-old came from behind to beat Indonesia’s Prahdiska Bagas 19-21, 21-11, 21-15 in the International Series event final in Maribor.
Justin was pleased with his hard-earned win and hopes to continue his encouraging form.
The youngster ruptured his left Achilles tendon in April last year and had to be sidelined for eight months.
Upon returning to competitions in November, Justin suffered right foot and knee injuries, and had to miss the Asia Team Championships in Shah Alam in February.
Justin, who was ranked as high as No. 48 prior to his injuries after progressing rapidly in the senior team, saw his ranking plummet to No. 233 following his setbacks.
The Kuala Lumpur-born lad, though, moved up to No. 179 after a promising show in the Thomas Cup Finals earlier this month in Chengdu where he was part of the team that won bronze and has continued his good form in Slovenia.
It was Justin’s first title since triumphing in the Uganda International in February last year.
“I’m very happy that I could win my first title this year,” said Justin.
“It’s a good start for me and I hope I can maintain my performance in my upcoming tournaments.
“I’m slowly getting back my form after my injuries and I don’t want to rush to set any targets for myself now.
“I just hope everything goes smoothly and safely for me after this,” added Justin, who will next compete in the Austrian Open which starts on Thursday.
