Taipei Open: Tze Yong's 15-month wait for a win continues after first round defeat

Ng Tze Yong’s wait for a first victory since returning from injury is set to continue after the national men’s singles shuttler suffered a first round defeat at the Taipei Open on Wednesday.

Ng lost 21-18, 18-21, 17-21 against home shuttler Wang Po-wei in a hard-fought 87-minute battle.

It has been 15-months since the Johor-born last won a competitive match, with his last victory coming against a Brunei opponent at the Badminton Asia Team Championships in February 2024.

Ng, currently ranked 392 in the world after not playing on the World Tour circuit for 14-months, did well to take the lead against Wang.

But his opponent upped his offensive game which left Ng open in defence to level the game and take it to a decider.

Ng’s slow start in the final game meant he was facing an uphill battle as he trailed 4-11 at the interval. Despite playing much better after the break where he started to attack more, it was too late and Wang clinched the win.

Still, the 24-year-old can take positives from this match as he looks to make progress on his comeback trail. Ng will next play at next week’s Thailand Open, where he is scheduled to play China’s Weng Hong Yang. Aidil Sholeh, meanwhile progressed to the Taipei Open second round after he beat compatriot Tan Jia Jie in three games.