KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia’s men’s singles shuttlers Ng Tze Yong (pix) and Lee Zii Jia enjoyed mixed fortunes in the French Open 2023 badminton championships in Rennes today.
While the 23-year-old Tze Yong marched into the quarter-finals by disposing of homester Arnaud Merkle 21-19, 21-8 in 47 minutes, Zii Jia’s quest for a second title this season ended when he lost 21-17, 11-21, 12-21 to eighth-seeded Li Shi Feng of China.
Tze Yong, the 2022 Commonwealth Games silver medallist, is set to face the winner of the second-round clash between Taiwan’s Chou Tien Chen and Thailand’s Kunlavut Vitidsarn.
Zii Jia, for the record, won the Artic Open in Finland earlier this month and finished runner-up in the Denmark Open last week.
National women’s doubles pair Vivian Hoo-Lim Chiew Sien also crashed out after losing 8-21, 18-21 to Indonesia’s Apriyani Rahayu-Siti Fadia Silva Ramadhanti. -Bernama