KUALA LUMPUR – Ng Tze Yong, Malaysia’s sole remaining representative in the 2023 French Open, has failed to qualify for the men’s singles finals.
The 23-year-old debutant was no match against China’s Li Shifeng – reigning All England champion – in the semi-final match, which was held at the Glaz Arena in Rennes, earlier this morning.
The world number 18 fought hard in the first set before falling short against the world number six shuttler, 17-21, 12-21, in a match which lasted for 47 minutes.
Tze Yong’s defeat today marked his sixth consecutive loss against the Hangzhou Asian Games gold medalist since their first encounter in 2017.
The Johorian’s last defeat against Shifeng came during the All-England quarter-finals in March.
Yesterday, Tze Yong guaranteed his slot in the semis after receiving a walkover from Thailand’s fourth-seeded player Kunlavut Vitidsarn in the quarterfinals.
Shifeng is expected to play either Singapore’s Loh Kean Yew or Indonesia’s Jonathan Christie in the final later today. – October 29, 2023