Rising men’s singles shuttler Justin Hoh is riding high after becoming Malaysia’s new national No. 2 and climbing to a career-best world No. 37 — a significant leap of eight spots in the latest BWF rankings.
The 21-year-old’s surge follows his impressive run to the Macau Open Super 300 final, where he finished runner-up to Indonesia’s Alwi Farhan. It was Justin’s first-ever World Tour final, and the performance marked a turning point after months of inconsistency.
“This result in Macau makes me very happy,” said Justin. “I’m hoping for more breakthroughs in the future. Before the tournament, I had positive discussions with my coaches Kenneth Jonassen and K. Yogendran, and we found the right direction. I’ve learnt that I need to be more patient and work on my skills and strategies on court.”
Justin’s progress comes as Lee Zii Jia, Malaysia’s former No. 1, slips to world No. 52 after being sidelined by an ankle injury since March. Despite his fall in the rankings, Zii Jia holds a protected ranking of No. 9 and is set to make his comeback at the World Championships in Paris from August 25–31.
Justin, meanwhile, is on the reserves list for the world meet and could only be drafted in if either Zii Jia or current national No. 1 Leong Jun Hao (world No. 25) withdraws. Aidil Sholeh Ali Sadikin also currently sits ahead of Zii Jia at world No. 42.
Justin now has his sights set on breaking into the world’s top 32, which would unlock automatic qualification to the prestigious Super 750 and 1000 tournaments — the elite tier of the BWF World Tour.
With momentum on his side, the young Malaysian looks determined to cement his place among the sport’s best.
