National shuttler Tze Yong bags silver at Commonwealth games
National singles ace shuttler, Ng Tze Yong failed to defend Malaysia’s gold medal in the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games after he succumbed to India’s number one Lakhsya Sen in a match that went the distance.
Ng got off to a flying start by producing a near-perfect performance in the opening game, courtesy of a solid defence and quick offensive display, to edge Sen, 21-19.
However, a series of unforced errors by Ng proved costly as...
National singles ace shuttler, Ng Tze Yong failed to defend Malaysia’s gold medal in the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games after he succumbed to India’s number one Lakhsya Sen in a match that went the distance.
Ng (above) got off to a flying start by producing a near-perfect performance in the opening game, courtesy of a solid defence and quick offensive display, to edge Sen, 21-19.
However, a series of unforced errors by Ng proved costly as Lakhsya clearly dominated the second game, winning 21-9, to force the match into a decider.
With the tie now 1-1 and the stage all set for Ng to prove why he is known as a “rubber set” king in the Games, he failed to rise to the occasion in the deciding game.
In the Commonwealth Games mixed team event last week, Ng had beaten Lakhsya’s teammate Srikanth Kidambi 21-19, 8-21, 21-16 in rubber sets to put Malaysia on the path to winning the gold medal.
As Ng trailed 14-19, the game was delayed for about a minute when Tze Yong suffered a slight injury on his knee and was forced to seek medical help outside the court.
A highly spirited Ng tried to recover but only managed to pick up two points after the game resumed while Lakhsya held his nerves to win 21-16 and wrest the gold medal from Malaysia.
Lee Chong Wei had clinched the gold medal at the 2018 Gold Coast edition hosted by Australia while India’s Parupalli Kashyap had won in Glasgow in 2014.
Despite the loss, the debutant Ng, who was roped in at the eleventh hour to replace Lee Zii Jia following the latter’s withdrawal from the Games, deserved a pat on his back following his sizzling performance.
Not only had he helped Malaysia wrest the gold medal from India after winning 2-1 in the mixed team final last Tuesday, the world number 42 had also scored two upset wins against the world’s top players en route to the final.
Ng stunned reigning world champion, Loh Kean Yew of Singapore in the quarter-final last Saturday, 15-21, 21-14, 21-11, and India’s Srikanth 13-21, 21-19, 21-10 in the semis yesterday (Aug 7).
“I did not expect to win (silver medal), honestly I am happy with this Commonwealth Games because I feel I am in top form here.
“I am not sure whether I could do so (maintain performance) in the next tournament but I do hope to carry this good run into my first World Championships as I believe this silver medal will definitely motivate me to compete in Japan,” he told reporters when met after the medal ceremony today.
Ng also hopes to improve his stamina apart from playing against top-ranked players next in a bid to gain more experience playing at a high-intensity level.
In the meantime, the 22-year-old player had set his sights to break into the top 30 by the end of this year.
The Johorean, on the other hand, said helping Malaysia to wrest the gold medal from India after winning 2-1 last Tuesday, was indeed a memorable achievement apart from coming in second place.
Meanwhile, Ng thanked Malaysians who rallied behind him through ups and downs as well as the coaches and his family members for their undying support.
- Bernama
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