Kuala Lumpur , 26 March (H.S.): Men's singles shuttler Ng Tze Yong is set to face a challenging first match against Thailand's reigning world champion, Kunlavut Vitidsarn, at the Asian Championships from April 8-13 in Ningbo, China.

Tze Yong, returning from over a year off after two back surgeries, holds a protected ranking of No. 18 but will encounter world No. 5 Kunlavut, a top contender for the title. The 24-year-old previously faced Kunlavut at the 2023 Singapore Open, losing in three games.

Malaysia's representation in men’s singles also includes world No. 26 Leong Jun Hao, who takes on Taiwan's world No. 11 Lin Chun-yi in his first-round match, having to prove his mettle in the absence of injured national No. 1 Lee Zii Jia. Justin Hoh, ranked world No. 50, fills Zii Jia's spot and is expected to progress past his initial group matches against the Philippines’ Jewel Angelo Albo and Iran’s Amirhossein Hasani to confront South Korea’s world No. 41 Jeon Hyeok-jin.

On the women’s side, Goh Jin Wei, K. Letshanaa, and Wong Ling Ching will represent Malaysia, with Jin Wei facing Taiwan’s Sung Shuo-yun in round one.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar