PETALING JAYA: Ng Tze Yong has yet to taste success on the Badminton World Federation’s (BWF) World Tour but the national No. 3 shuttler is not looking too far ahead in the Indonesian Masters in Malang next week.
Tze Yong is the top seed in the World Tour Super 100 event and has a fighting chance to secure the elusive international crown.
However, the world No. 32 player wants to tackle his first obstacle of the tournament, which is to overcome China’s Sun Feixiang in the second round.
Tze Yong had received a bye in the first round.
Feixiang, ranked 134th in the world, went all the way to the final at the Vietnam Open in Ho Chi Minh City two weeks ago before losing to Kodai Naraoka of Japan.
“I will be playing China player (Feixiang) in the second round and it is going to be tough.
“It will certainly be a good result for me if I can beat him,” said Tze Yong.
“I take one match at a time and don’t want to think too much (winning the title). My preparation is good and I am hoping to perform my best.”
Tze Yong skipped the Indonesia International Challenge, which started in Malang yesterday, to give himself more time to prepare for the coming tournaments.
The Johor-born shuttler will also be playing in the Hylo Open in Saarbrucken, Germany from Nov 1-6 and the Australian Open in Sydney from Nov 15-20.
Tze Yong is also the first reserve in the French Open in Paris from Oct 25-30.
“I want to be fresh and well prepared for the Indonesian Masters and I also have other tournaments to play in.
“I don’t think withdrawing from the Indonesia International Challenge will affect my performance,” added Tze Yong.
“I may also get a chance to play in the French Open but need to wait and see if I can get in.”
The good news is Tze Yong’s current ranking will help him qualify for the main draw of the World Tour Super 500 until Super 1000 events without worrying about playing in the qualifying rounds or listed in the reserve list.
Independent players Lee Zii Jia, the world No. 3, and 28th-ranked Liew Daren are the top two Malaysians in the men’s singles ranking.
