PETALING JAYA: National men’s singles shuttler Ng Tze Yong’s hopes of making a strong run at the Taiwan Open were dashed after he crashed out in the first round on Wednesday (May 7).
Playing at the Taipei Arena, the Johor-born shuttler went up against home player Wang Po-wei, who is ranked 71st in the world.
Tze Yong looked to be in control early on after taking the opening game, but Po-wei fought back to level the match and forced a decider.
After a gruelling 87-minute battle, Tze Yong eventually went down 21-18, 18-21, 17-21.
It was only his second tournament of the year, having returned to action at the Asian Badminton Championships in Ningbo last month.
The 24-year-old had been sidelined for an extended period due to a serious back injury.
With the campaign in Taiwan over, Tze Yong will now shift his focus to the Thailand Open, which begins next Tuesday.
