SHAH ALAM – National men’s singles player Ng Tze Yong was forced to withdraw from his match against Singapore’s Jason Teh due to his existing injury, in the ongoing Badminton Asia Team Championships 2024 (BATC) semifinals match.
The 24-year-old, who is yet to fully recover from a torn back muscle sustained at the Malaysia Open last month, was the first to step onto the court for the national men’s team event.
Tze Yong, who was rested in the last two group matches (Kazakhstan and Chinese Taipei) after playing in the opening match against Brunei, only played for three minutes before withdrawing from the match, which ended with a 1-0 (1-3) game score for Singapore at the Setia City Convention Centre here today.
Lee Zii Jia who was supposed to be fielded as the first singles player of the match was unable to play as he suffered from breathing symptoms during his tie against Chinese Taipei yesterday.
Zii Jia was brought in to see a specialist this morning and was advised to rest to avoid aggravating the symptoms.
Tze Yong, who is ranked 15th in the world, said that he’s disappointed that he’s unable to contribute a point for his team and hopes to play for his team to battle for glory in the tournament.
He underwent treatment at the hospital yesterday to prepare himself for the match against Singapore.
“I was still having some pain after having my injection yesterday and yet to fully recover from the injury. It will take some time for me to recover as I just took my injection.
“I tried my best to play as much as I could but I was unable to keep going in the match and that’s the reason why I withdrew.
“Even though I have withdrawn from the match, I believe that Leong Jun Hao can finish what I started by giving a point for Malaysia in the team event.
“Two years ago, I was part of the winning team and of course, I’m disappointed with my injury and I hope I can get back on the court and play for my country again,” said Tze Yong when met after his match.
The second match saw top doubles pair Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik levelling the game score for Malaysia in a hard-fought 21-11, 22-24, 21-14 win against Loh Kean Hean-Jia Hao Howin Wong in a 59-minute match.
Leong Jun Hao brought Malaysia into the lead by defeating Jia Wei Joel Koh 21-8, 21-12 to make the game score 2-1 for the national men’s team.
Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin, maintained their 100% winning record in the tournament as they sealed the deal for Malaysia by defeating Wesley Koh Eng Keat-Junsuke Kubo 21-6,20-22,21-8 in a match that lasted 50 minutes.
“We were a bit disappointed for not winning the match in straight sets as we felt that we were the better side.
“But we are happy with the win and we hope to maintain this momentum in tomorrow’s semi-final match,” said Sze Fei after the match.
With their 3-1 victory over Singapore, Malaysia have automatically qualified for the Thomas Cup by merit, with the tournament scheduled to take place in China from April 28 to May 5.
Malaysia are expected to take on the winners between India and Japan in the semi-finals tomorrow evening. – February 16, 2024