KUALA LUMPUR: National men’s singles shuttler Justin Hoh missed his second title of the season and had to be contented as runner-up at the Northern Marianas Open, located in the Pacific Ocean, today.
The world number 115 Justin went down 12-21, 20-22 after a 37-minute battle against Taiwan’s Cheng Kai in the final at the Gilbert C. Ada Gymnasium.
Justin, seeded fifth in the tournament, advanced to the final after eliminating another Taiwanese Cheng Han Tsai in the semi-finals, while Cheng Kai ousted Singaporean Joel Koh Jia Wei.
It was the 20-year-old’s second final this year, after having won the Slovenia Open in May.
In April last year, Justin was sidelined for eight months after a surgery due to an Achilles tendon rupture, followed by another 4 month recovery for a right knee injury in November.