Malaysia’s run at Thomas Cup ended in defeat to Indonesia last Friday (15 Oct). However, the fresh faces seen at the Thomas Cup sparks hope in Malaysia’s future.
Despite his lost to world No.7 player, Jonathan Christie in the quarterfinals, Ng Tze Yong put up an impressive fight against the Indonesian.
According to Harian Metro, Ng’s outstanding performance caught the attention of national badminton icon, Datuk Lee Chong Wei.
Ng Tze Yong- A successor to Lee Chong Wei
“He can be my successor.”
With his calm demeanour and intelligent plays, Chong Wei believes that Ng can achieve more with his current playstyle.
He said the world No.82 surely needs more exposure in big tournaments and gets some of his weaknesses fixed so that he can rock the world badminton arena in the next two or three years.
Furthermore, Chong Wei noted that the current No.82 would need more exposure in big tournaments as well as working on his on some of his flaws.
Bright future ahead for young players
Chong Wei mentioned that by doing so, he has the potential to dominate international stages in the next two or three years.
For the overall performance in the recent Thomas Cup match, he was convinced with the line-up of young players and was happy to see their fighting spirit despite knowing that they were facing the biggest opponent in the badminton world.
The nation’s badminton hero was impressed with the overall performance of the young badminton team.
He was pleased to have witnessed their tenacity despite going up against the best players in the world.
“All the young players especially Tze Yong have a bright future and their journey has just begun. There are many things for them to learn.”
“I believe that if Tze Yong can maintain his current momentum and continue to improve his game pattern, he will be able to replace me as one of the finest singles players in the world.”
“We can see in two or three years, this line of young players will be one of the opponents’ greatest nightmares as they are able to compete against other badminton titans,” he told Arena Metro.
Cover images via Twitter/Leechongwei, BWFbadminton, Berita Harian
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