Looking up Down Under
Tze yong can make amends, Zii Jia has chance to win following withdrawals
PETALING JAYA: A spate of withdrawals in the Australian Open may have opened a window of opportunity for Ng Tze Yong (pic) to put up a better show after flopping in his last two outings.
A first-round exit loomed large for the Commonwealth Games silver medallist against Kunlavut Vitidsarn but the Thai’s withdrawal has eased the pressure on Tze Yong in the tournament starting today in Sydney.
He is expected to breeze past Jacob Schueler of Australia but must be cautious against South Korean Heo Kwang-hee in the second round.
Others who withdrew from the tournament are Hylo Open champion Anthony Ginting of Indonesia, compatriot Jonatan Christie; Indian duo Lakshya Sen, K. Srikanth; Wang Tzu-wei of Taiwan; Zhao Jungpeng of China; Kanthapon Wancharoen of Thailand and Malaysia’s independent shuttler Liew Daren.
Tze Yong’s preliminary round exits in the Indonesia Masters (Malang) last month and the Hylo Open two weeks ago was attributed to the changes in his training to add more power into his game.
“We hope to see some breakthrough for Tze Yong in this tournament and he should take his chances well,” said national singles coaching director Wong Choong Hann.
“As for the changes in training, it is to make him physically stronger and he is getting used to it. I’m confident that he will gain the benefits but we need to be patient and give him time to adjust to it.”
Top seed Zii Jia, if he makes the most of it, has a realistic chance to win his third title of the year after having bagged the Asian Championships in Manila and the Thailand Open in Bangkok in May.
Zii Jia will meet a qualifier in the first round but his first task will be to clear the second-round hurdle against Lu Guangzu of China.
Everything looks good for Zii Jia to secure his berth in the World Tour Finals in Guangzhou next month (Dec 14-18) but winning the title would be the icing on the cake for the Malaysian.
The withdrawals also did the favour for two independent shuttlers Soong Joo Ven and Cheam June Wei who were promoted from the qualifying rounds to the main draw.
It was a favourable situation for world No. 53 Joo Ven, who has just recovered from a knee injury and has not played in any tournaments since his semi-final appearance in the Taiwan Open in July.
“At least, I don’t have to play in the qualifying rounds. If not I have to play two matches within four hours,” said Joo Ven.
“I was forced to withdraw from about five tournaments due to the injury and I’m not expecting too much.”
Joo Ven plays Australian Adam Dolman in the opener while June Wei, who reached the final of the Indonesia Masters last month, will be meeting Kenta Nishimoto of Japan first.
In the men’s doubles, Ong Yew Sin-teo Ee Yi’s path is also clear to reach the semi-finals as world No. 1 Takuro Hoki-yugo Kobayashi have withdrawn.
In the women’s singles, S. Kisona has an uphill task against Nozomi Okuhara of Japan and Goh Jin Wei has an easy encounter against Australia’s Pitchaya Viravong while Soniia Cheah will play against Indonesia’s Putri Kusumawardani.