PETALING JAYA: Ng Tze Yong (pic) has vowed to use the valuable experience gained in his debut All-England in future competitions.
The national men’s singles shuttler had made heads turn by stunning Denmark’s defending champion and world No. 1 Viktor Axelsen 21-15, 9-21, 21-23 en route to a quarter-final finish in the prestigious tournament.
World No. 28 Tze Yong, though, could not continue his brilliant form when he went down 11-21, 11-21 to China’s world No. 14 Li Shifeng in the last eight at the Utilita Arena in Birmingham on Friday.
Tze Yong admitted that he had lost to the better player on the day.
“I’m disappointed with the outcome of this match,” said Tze Yong in a post-match interview with the Badminton World Federation (BWF).
“My opponent played very well (Friday).
“I tried to fight even when he was leading quite far in the second game but I couldn’t make it.”
On whether the long match against Axelsen took a lot out of him, Tze Yong said: “I didn’t feel that different.
“I just have to go back and work harder.”
It was Tze Yong’s third straight defeat to Shifeng in senior tournaments after also coming out second best in the Indian Open in January and 2022 Hylo Open.
Overall, Tze Yong was reasonably satisfied with his performances in the tournament.
“I’m quite happy with my previous matches,” said Tze Yong
“This is my first All England, and I’ve learned a lot. I hope to use this experience in my upcoming tournaments.”
The 22-year-old’s encouraging debut has only fuelled his ambition to qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics.
The one-year qualifying period is set to begin in May.
“My aim is to break into the top 16 in the world to make the cut for the Olympics,” said Tze Yong.
The youngster will next turn his attention to the Swiss Open in Basel where he will start his campaign against a qualifier on Wednesday.
