The world No. 31 fell to China’s world No. 9, Li Shifeng, in the final on Sunday  in Kumamoto, losing 10-21 13-21 in 44 minutes.

The defeat marked Jun Hao's fourth consecutive loss to Shifeng, but the 25-year-old can take pride in his remarkable performance throughout the tournament. Along the way, he stunned several top-ranked players, including India’s world No. 17 Lakshya Sen, Japan’s world No. 11 Koki Watanabe and world No. 4 Kodai Naraoka, as well as Indonesia’s world No. 6 Jonatan Christie, to secure his place in the final.

Notably, Jun Hao is the first men's singles shuttler from the Association to reach a final in a World Tour tournament this year.