KUALA LUMPUR: Lee Zii Jia’s superior performance had forced Ng Tze Yong (pic) to warm up the bench during the Sudirman Cup in Suzhou, China, last week but it also turned out to be a blessing in disguise for the national No. 2.
The 23-year-old Tze Yong did not play a single match as Zii Jia remained unbeaten in the entire tournament where Malaysia reached the semi-finals and lost 1-3 to South Korea.
However, the world No. 21 did not feel slighted but worked hard at the gym to be well prepared for the Malaysian Masters where he has a tough first-round clash against Japan’s world No. 15 Kenta Nishimoto today.
It would be frustrating to not get the chance to see action in a major event like the Sudirman Cup but Malaysia had to go with the in-form Zii Jia, who did not put a foot wrong in Suzhou.
Although Tze Yong did not speak about his specific target at the Malaysian Open, he is looking forward to doing well and clear the first match against the much improved Japanese shuttler who won the Spanish Masters in March.
“It was the decision of the coaches during the Sudirman Cup. I just have to follow what the coaches had planned in China.
“Although I didn’t play (a match), I trained a lot in China. While the others had the tournament (Sudirman Cup) to play, I was working out at the gym and focusing on improving on my stamina.
“I don’t think my performance will be affected here because I didn’t play a match at the Sudirman Cup.
“This is a different tournament, different venue.
“I have never played him (Nishimoto) before and I will discuss with my coach and come up a with a gameplan to face him.
“I have prepared well and hoping for a good result in this tournament.”
The men’s singles draw generally had some close first round clashes and Zii Jia, the world No. 10, did not escape as he plays the dangerous Lu Guangzu of China in his opening match.
The qualifying rounds concluded yesterday with all Malaysians falling by the wayside.
Independent player Cheam June Wei lost 8-21, 21-7, 14-21 to Taiwan’s Lee Chia-hao in the second round of the qualifiers while Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) shuttler Aidil Sholeh Ali Sadikin also missed out on a spot in the main draw after losing 21-16, 15-21, 20-22.
Another BAM player Leong Jun Hao was shown the exit in the first round of the qualifiers when he lost 22-20, 19-21, 11-21 to Taiwan’s Chi Yu-jen while independent player Soong Joo Ven lost 8-21, 18-21 to South Korean Jeon Hyeok-jin in his first qualifying match.
