Hangzhou: Ng Tze Yong received a phone call from badminton legend Lee Chong Wei after reaching the quarter-finals of the Asian Games on Wednesday.
Ng defeated Thailand’s Kantaphon Wangcharoen 21-17, 21-12 in the best-of-three match. He had previously defeated Singapore’s Loh Kean Yew in the second round.
Lee Chong Wei, a three-time Olympic silver medalist, is scheduled to arrive in Hangzhou on Friday as a member of Malaysia’s Road to Gold (RTG) program committee and also team manager of Malaysia’s Paris 2024 Olympic badminton squad.
“That’s right, Chong Wei contacted me,” Tze Yong told the media after his match against Kantaphon. “However, I think I should keep the advice to myself and not reveal it to the public.”
Ng is now scheduled to meet World Championship runner-up Kodai Naraoka of Japan in the quarter-finals. Naraoka has beaten Ng in both of their previous meetings.
In other news from the Asian Games badminton tournament, the Malaysian women’s doubles pair of Pearly Tan/Thinaah Muralitharan also advanced to the quarter-finals. They defeated Thailand’s Jonkolphan Kititharakul/Rawinda Prajongjai 21-15, 21-17. They will meet No. 2 seeds Baek Ha Na/Lee So Hee of Korea next.
The Malaysian men’s doubles pair of Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik also made the quarter-finals. They defeated Thailand’s Supak Jomkoh/Kittinupong Kedren 21-12, 21-14.
Aaron-Wooi Yik will meet Liu Yu Chen/Ou Xuan Yi of China in the quarter-finals.
