15-05-2025
Jonassen stays upbeat despite Tze Yong's early exits
Tough luck: Ng Tze Yong lost 13-21, 17-21 to China's Weng Hongyang in the first round of the Thailand Open.
PETALING JAYA: Three first round defeats in a row but singles coaching director Kenneth Jonassen is staying positive about shuttler Ng Tze Yong.
Tze Yong is still searching for his first win in the men's singles after making his competitive return from a serious back injury last month.
The Johorean, who turns 25 today, went down 13-21, 17-21 to China's world No. 15 Weng Hongyang in the Thailand Open first round at the Nimibutr Stadium in Bangkok on Wednesday.
Tze Yong also lost in the opening round in the Asian Championships and Taiwan Open to Thailand's reigning world champion Kunlavut Vitidsarn and homester Wang Po-wei respectively.
While others might see Tze Yong's defeats as cause for concern, Jonassen is remaining calm and believes that his charge is slowly getting up to speed with high level badminton again after more than a year on the sidelines.
'Tze Yong really got up to speed in the second game (against Hongyang) which was important and he played some good attacking and aggressive badminton. This is something we can build on,' said Jonassen.
'I see positives but of course it is very important to put everything in perspective after each match. Small steps towards a better understanding of how he needs to approach each match.'
Jonassen had also stressed that Tze Yong will not be rushed into getting back his best form but instead, will be given time to get used to competing again.
'We will do it step by step and not rush to desperately get short term gains. We will have a long term mindset to secure the best possible outcome.
'It will still take time to get back to his very best but we all believe in the process and plan.'
Tze Yong will next compete in the Malaysian Masters starting on Tuesday at the Axiata Arena in Bukit Jalil.
He will be returning to the Axiata Arena for the first time since injuring his lower back in the same venue during the Malaysian Open in January last year.
Tze Yong has been drawn to face Hong Kong's world No. 17 Angus Ng Ka Long in the first round.
Meanwhile, world No. 45 Justin Hoh also fell short in his bid to reach the second round in Thailand when he lost 19-21, 16-21 to India's world No. 53 Tharun Mannepalli.
World No. 48 independent player Aidil Sholeh Ali Sadikin, who was the only Malaysian in the men's singles to make it into the second round, battled hard against China's world No. 14 Lu Guangzu, before going down 21-18, 16-21, 14-21 in 69 minutes.
