It’s a stretch: If Ng Tze Yong plays in the Hylo Open in Germany this week, it wil be his sixth straight tournament since the Asian Games in Hangzhou last month. — AFP
PETALING JAYA: Desperation can shake the discipline of an athlete and eventually bring him down and this could be what shuttler Ng Tze Yong experienced at the French Open as he collapsed in the semi-finals in Rennes on Saturday.
A tense Tze Yong had resorted to getting quick points and never really followed a game plan against Li Shifeng of China and succumbed to a 17-21, 12-21 defeat in a 47-minute men’s singles clash.
It wasn’t clear whether Tze Yong felt overwhelmed playing against the newly crowned Asian Games champion but the Malaysian admitted that nerves got to him.
“I was a little nervous and wanted to get easy points and tried to play every shot perfect,” said Tze Yong.
“I didn’t want to think too much but it forced me to make more mistakes. I was telling myself to avoid simple mistakes.
“I might be going to Hylo Open (in Germany starting tomorrow) but I don’t think I have much time (to prepare). I just need a good rest to fight again next week.”
Even an additional day’s rest was not enough for Tze Yong. The world No. 18 had received a walkover from world champion Kunlavut Vitidsarn of Thailand in the quarter-finals on Friday.
Despite freezing again at the crucial stage in Rennes, Tze Yong can still walk tall as he has been playing non-stop badminton for five consecutive weeks since the Asiad in Hangzhou.
Tze Yong played in the men’s team event and the men’s singles competition where he reached the last eight in Hangzhou before making a breakthrough at the Arctic Open in Vantaa, Finland two weeks ago.
It was Tze Yong’s first final in a super 500 tournament of the Badminton World Federation (BWF) world tour but it was also the event that compatriot Lee Zii Jia found his mojo.
Tze Yong played second fiddle to Zii Jia in the final in Finland and fell in the last 16 to China’s Lu Guangzu at the Denmark Open last week before making a quick recovery in the French Open.
Should the Johor-born shuttler decide to play at the Hylo Open as scheduled, he will be playing in his sixth consecutive week and this will put his mental and physical strengths to test.
SEMI-FINAL RESULTS
Men’s singles: Li Shifeng (Chn) bt Ng Tze Yong (Mas) 21-17, 21-12; Jonatan Christie (Ina) bt Loh Kean Yew (Sin) 21-18, 21-13.
Men’s doubles: Kim Astrup-Anders Skaarup Rasmussen (Den) bt Liu Yuchen-Ou Xuanyi (Chn) 21-17, 21-19; Shohibul Fikri-Bagas Maulana (Ina) bt He Jiting-Ren Xiangyu (Chn) 21-16, 19-21, 22-20.
Women’s singles: Tai Tzu-ying (Tpe) bt Aya Ohori (Jpn) 22-20, 10-21, 22-20; Chen Yufei (Chn) bt He Bingjiao (Chn) 22-20, 19-21, 21-9.
Women’s doubles: Liu Shengshu-Tan Ning (Chn) bt Apriyani Rahayu-Siti Fadia (Ina) 21-15, 17-21, 21-14; Jongkolphan Kititharakul-Rawinda Prajongjai (Tha) bt Mayu Matsumoto-Wakana Nagahara (Jpn) 22-20, 13-21, 24-22.
Mixed doubles: Tang Chun Man-Tse Ying Suet (Hkg) bt Yuta Watanabe-Arisa Higashino (Jpn) 21-19, 21-18; Jiang Shenbang-Wei Yaxin (Chn) Kim Wan-ho-Jeong Na-eun (Kor) 21-17, 21-8.
