Tough act to follow . . .

Over to you: Lee Zii Jia’s (right) withdrawal from the Commonwealth Games has paved the way for Ng Tze Yong (left) to spring a surprise.

PETALING JAYA: Ng Tze Yong has big shoes to fill in the absence of Lee Zii Jia in the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham but he is game for it.

The 22-year-old Tze Yong has been named as the replacement for Zii Jia after the latter decided to pull out from the Games scheduled from July 28-Aug 8 due to heavy commitments.

The world No. 5 Zii Jia said he wanted to focus fully on the World Championships in Tokyo from Aug 22-28.

“I am grateful for the opportunity to play in the Commonwealth Games but I’ve to humbly turn it down,” said the 24-year-old Zii Jia.

“The season has been hectic and I would rather prepare myself to be in the best condition for the World Championships,” added Zii Jia, who is gearing up for next week’s Malaysian Open.

Zii Jia’s decision has turned out to be a blessing in disguise for Tze Yong.

Tze Yong, who is the top-ranked men’s singles shuttler under the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) at No. 48, said he would not waste the opportunity now that he had been entrusted with the responsibility of representing the country.

“This is a big responsibility to replace Zii Jia but I’m happy to be given the opportunity to play in what will be my first Common–wealth Games,” said Tze Yong.

In comparison to Zii Jia, Tze Yong will have a tough task to deliver in the singles.

The youngster has to brace himself for possible clashes against Singapore’s reigning world champion Loh Kean Yew and India’s Thomas Cup winners Lakshya Sen and K. Srikanth in both the individual and mixed team events.

Based on his form at the Thomas Cup Finals in Bangkok last month, where he flopped as the second singles in the tie against India, Tze Yong has to make quick progress to match his opponents.

But Tze Yong is unfazed with his challengers but has set his sights on winning a medal for his country.

“I don’t want to think too much about my possible opponents. I just want to focus on my own game. I want to win a medal of any colour,” said Tze Yong.

Tze Yong did not qualify for the Malaysian Open starting next week, so he will have time to prepare. He has been entered for the Malaysian Masters (July 5-10) and the Singapore Open (July 12-17) before the Birmingham stint.

National singles coaching director Wong Choong Hann said Tze Yong was the next best candidate after Zii Jia.

“To accommodate Tze Yong’s preparation for the Games, we have withdrawn his name from the Taiwan Open from July 19-24. It’s a tricky journey for him but we hope he will serve a surprise,” said Choong Hann.

The others chosen for the Games are Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik (men’s doubles), Goh Jin Wei (women’s singles), Pearly Tan-M. Thinaah (women’s doubles), Tan Kian Meng-Lai Pei Jing and Chan Peng Soon-Cheah Yee See (mixed doubles). Malaysia have set a seven gold medal target at the Commonwealth Games, and two are expected to come from badminton.