[VIDEO] Malaysia's Ng Tze Yong Defeats World No 1 Viktor Axelsen At All England Open
Lee Zii Jia will also join Ng Tze Yong in the quarter-finals at the prestigious tournament in Birmingham, England.
By Yap Wan Xiang — 17 Mar 2023, 11:18 AM
National shuttler Ng Tze Yong defeated World No 1 player and defending champion Viktor Axelsen to move on to the quarter-finals of the All England Open Badminton Championships yesterday, 16 March
The 22-year-old fought against the Dane in three nail-biting matches in Birmingham, coming out on top with a 21-15, 9-21, 23-21 victory after 69 minutes, reported New Straits Times.
In the third match, the World No 28 player, who is competing for the first time in the All England tournament, was ahead with four points at 19-15, but Axelsen quickly caught up to take the lead at 20-19.
Remaining composed, the young shuttler then created the biggest upset so far by defeating his 29-year-old opponent when the latter hit the shuttlecock out of the court for the last point, sealing Ng's win with a 23-21 score.
Ng clenched his fists and shouted in celebration of the victory.
Ng's triumph is considered remarkable as he is one of the only four players who have beaten the Dane in the past 15 months
"This is definitely my biggest career win so far, but I won't be celebrating yet as the tournament is far from over," he told the Badminton World Federation (BWF).
"My focus is now on my next match," he added.
The Commonwealth Games silver medalist will face China's Li Shi Feng for a place in the semi-finals today, 17 March.
Meanwhile, World No 4 Lee Zii Jia will also join Ng in the quarter-finals after defeating Japan's Kenta Nishimoto 21-15, 21-10 in 40 minutes, reported New Straits Times.
