Justin hopes to repay BAM for 'costly trip'
KUALA LUMPUR: Justin Hoh is determined to make the most of his North American tour, where he will debut at the US Open (June 24–29) and Canada Open (July 1–6).
The world No. 42 men's singles shuttler is aware of the significant costs involved and is grateful to the BA of Malaysia (BAM) for backing his campaign.
Justin, 21, hopes to repay BAM with strong performances in both tournaments.
"I've never been to the United States or Canada," said Justin when met at the Academy Badminton Malaysia (ABM) in Bukit Kiara today.
"The flight will take almost a full day, it will be the longest I've ever taken. It's expensive to go to the US, and I want to thank BAM for sending me.
"I hope I can get good results in both the tournaments. I really want to make this trip worthwhile."
Justin has had a tough season so far, falling in the early rounds of seven out of eight tournaments.
A quarter-final showing at the Taiwan Open last month offered some encouragement, but he knows more consistency is needed to reach the sport's upper tier.
He believes that a recent four-week centralised training stint at ABM has helped him refocus following a packed tournament schedule.
"Before this, I had too many tournaments and not enough time to train," he said. "But over the last four weeks, I've had solid training, and I feel I've regained good form. Hopefully, I can deliver a strong result."
His main goal this year is to break into the world's top 32. A good run in North America would earn him valuable ranking points and open doors to higher-tier tournaments.
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