Paris: Ng Tze Yong beat the host player Arnaud Merkle 21-19, 21-8 in the men’s singles top 16 of the French Open on Thursday.
The victory was Ng’s second consecutive victory in the third meeting between the two sides. Friday will also mark Ng’s 10th quarter-finals of the year. For 2023, Ng has only advanced to the semi-finals twice and he was able to make it to the finals of the Arctic Open two weeks ago but ultimately lost to Malaysia’s World No. 11 Lee Zii Jia.
In the top 8 on Friday, Ng will face Thailand’s reigning world champion Kunlavut Vitidsarn. Vitidsarn defeated Chou Tien Chen 21-8, 21-19 on Thursday.
In another second men’s singles match, Lee Zii Jia was defeated by the Asian Games and All-England champion Li Shifeng from China.
Highlights of Lee Zii Jia vs. Li Shifeng in the 2023 French Open second round:
The world No. 11 Lee Zii Jia lost to Li Shifeng, ranked 5th in the world of China, 21-17, 11-21, 12-21.
The two were tied at 11-11 in the deciding game, but Li Shifeng then scored 10-1 consecutive points to seal the victory in a one-sided third set.
The situation in the second game was similar. The two sides fought fiercely in the first half. Li Shifeng only led 10-9, but he then scored a wave of 11-2 points and successfully cliched the game.
This was the fifth match between the two. Li Shifeng won his third victory and avenged his loss to Lee Zii Jia in the Swiss Open in March this year.
In mixed doubles, both Malaysian pairs lost to their opponents from Hong Kong respectively. Chen Tang Jie/Toh Ee Wei went down to Reginald Lee Chun Hei/Ng Tsz Yau 21-19, 21-15, while Goh Soon Huat/Shevon Jemie Lai lost to Tang Chun Man/Tse Ying Suet 20-22, 21-19, 13-21.
