KUALA LUMPUR – National men’s singles ace Ng Tze Yong is ready to put into practice everything that he has learned from the recent European tournaments, including the magnificent second-round win over world champion Viktor Axelsen in the All England, when he competes in the 2023 Badminton Asia Championships (BAC) in April.
The European experience has made Tze Yong, who won silver in the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games, wiser as he cranks up his training for the BAC in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates after his first appearance in the Philippines last year came to nought with a first-round loss to India's Kidambi Srikanth.
“I learned a lot from the European tournaments, and am confident I’ll be better prepared for the upcoming championships, as I am also well-rested after a strained thigh injury.
“I resumed training on Wednesday and will compete in the BAC next,” he told reporters at the Akademi Badminton Malaysia in Bukit Kiara today.
Tze Yong, 23, also does not want to put unnecessary pressure on himself by setting too high a target for the BAC, saying he would instead sharpen his skills under coach Hendrawan and take it one match at a time.
On March 16, Tze Yong created a sensation when he knocked out reigning All England champion Axelsen 21-15, 9-21, 23-21 in the second round in Birmingham, but the feat took a lot out of him and he was a spent force in the quarter-finals, going down 11-21, 11-21 to China’s Li Shi Feng.
Tze Yong was then forced to retire in the quarter-finals of the Swiss Open on March 24 due to a thigh injury when trailing Taiwan's Chou Tien Chen 21-11, 2-0.
The injury also forced him to skip the Spain Masters, which began on Tuesday.
The 2023 BAC in Dubai will be from April 25-30. – Bernama, March 31, 2023
