National shuttler Ng Tze Yong will be fit to play in the upcoming Thomas Cup (April 28-May 5), which could be his first tournament in over two months since last featuring at the Badminton Asia Team Championships.

Ng had to kiss his hopes of featuring at the Paris Olympics this July goodbye, as he had not fully recovered from his injuries, but national coaching director Rexy Mainaky has indicated the Johor-born could make his comeback soon.

“Tze Yong is moving much better now, but he is still cautious about any extreme movements. But he can now execute smashes and his court coverage is also more positive. We are positive that he will participate in the Thomas Cup,” said Rexy.

The Indonesian’s verdict is much welcomed after it was revealed earlier this week that Lee Zii Jia could skip the Thomas Cup to focus on improving his world ranking at upcoming World Tour events.

Most of the top shuttlers will be in action next week at the Badminton Asia Championships, which will take place two weeks before the Thomas Cup.

Young promising national men’s singles shuttler Justin Hoh is also slated to compete at the Thomas Cup.

Hoh has only played once this year at last week’s Toyota International Challenge after recovering from a knee injury.

If Lee doesn’t play, Malaysia will field Ng as the first men’s singles, with Leong Jun Hao and Hoh playing in the second and third singles.

Malaysia are in Group D of the Thomas Cup along with Denmark, Hong Kong & Algeria.