Indonesia Masters: Angus Ng Ka-long sets up a daunting quarter-final date with world No 1 Viktor Axelsen
- Hong Kong’s top badminton star battles past China’s Zhao Junpeng in three games as comeback continues in Jakarta
- ‘Hopefully, I can have a tight match with him,’ Ng says of Olympic champ Axelsen, who has beaten him in all nine of their outings
Hong Kong’s No 1 shuttler Angus Ng Ka-long continued his comeback with a battling last-16 win at the Indonesia Masters on Thursday, but now faces the toughest possible test of his credentials against world No 1 Viktor Axelsen.
Ng, who returned to the tour this week after months out following a battle with Covid-19, beat his second Chinese opponent in two outings in Jakarta. seeing off Zhao Junpeng in three games.
With “confidence gained”, Ng now heads into a daunting quarter-final clash with the Tokyo Olympic gold medallist, against whom he has lost all of their nine meetings.
“It’s been more than a year since I have faced Viktor,” he said. “I haven’t beaten him before. Hopefully, I can have a tight match with him.”
Getting off to a flying start, Ng took the first game of Thursday’s encounter 21-9 in just 12 minutes
The score was tied seven times in a back-and-forth second game, which Ng eventually lost 21-19, before rallying to defeat former world junior bronze medallist Zhao, taking the decider 21-10.