The Malaysian shuttler was defeated by Hong Kong’s Angus Ng Ka Long in a 43-minute match that saw Tze Yong fall short with a score of 21-14, 22-20.
This marks the end of Malaysia’s proud record of winning at least one title at the Thailand Masters in the past three editions. Despite Tze Yong’s best outing this year, he was unable to repeat his previous win against the world No. 18 at the Singapore Open last year. The Hong Kong veteran using the Yonex Nanoflare 800 proved to be a tough opponent for the Malaysian who used the Yonex Astrox 99, having already defeated Lee Zii Jia and Cheam June Wei in last week’s Indonesia Masters on his way to the semi-finals.
This also means that Malaysia has yet to win a title in the BWF World Tour this year, starting with the Malaysia Open. The only bright spot was the performance of Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik who made it to the final of the India Open, but lost to the Chinese pair Liang Wei Keng-Wang Chang.
The national shuttlers will now gather for the Asia Mixed Team Championships in Dubai from February 14-19. However, Ng Tze Yong will not be part of the squad as Lee Zii Jia and Leong Jun Hao were selected as the country’s representatives for the men’s singles event.
Malaysia had enjoyed a fair share of success in the Thailand Masters since 2018, starting with the mixed doubles competition won by Chan Peng Soon-Goh Liu Ying. The following year, they successfully defended their title, and Goh V Shem-Tan Wee Kiong provided extra joy by winning the men’s doubles crown. In 2020, men’s doubles Ong Yew Sin-Teo Ee Yi continued the winning streak, but the tournament took a three-year break due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Although Tze Yong’s exit marks a disappointing end to the Thailand Masters for Malaysia, the country’s shuttlers will have another chance to prove their skills and bring glory to the nation at the Asia Mixed Team Championships.
ASTROX 99 PRO vs NANOFLARE 800 LT
| Product Name |
ASTROX 99 PRONANOFLARE 800 LT |
| Product Image |
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| Price | |
| Our Rating | |
| Brand | Yonex Yonex |
| Category | Racket Racket |
Racket features
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| Shaft flexibility | Stiff Stiff |
| Balance point | Head heavy Head light |
| Weight | 4U (Avg.83g) G5, 6 / 3U (Avg.88g) G4, 5, 6 5U (Avg. 78g) G5, 6 |
| Grip size | 4U (Avg.83g) G5, 6 / 3U (Avg.88g) G4, 5, 6 5U (Avg. 78g) G5, 6 |
| String tension | 4U: 20 - 28 lbs, 3U: 21 - 29 lbs 5U: 19 – 27 lbs |