KUALA LUMPUR: While Lee Zii Jia is Malaysia's best bet for the world title, all eyes will be on compatriot Ng Tze Yong, who shone at the Birmingham Commonwealth Games, in Tokyo on Aug 22-28.
Following the draw today, Tze Yong, who won a gold (mixed team) and silver (men's singles) in Birmingham, found himself in the top half of the draw alongside world No 1 Viktor Axelsen of Denmark, Anthony Sinisuka Ginting of Indonesia and Japan's Kanta Tsuneyama among others.
The 22-year-old, promoted from the reserve list at the eleventh hour, will open against Indonesia's Chico Aura Dwi Widoyo, who clinched the Malaysia Masters title last month.
BA of Malaysia (BAM) high-performance director Dr Tim Jones believes Tze Yong has everything to play for, given his current form.
"For Tze Yong, Chico can be a tough challenge in the first round, as seen this year with the Indonesian winning the Malaysia Masters.
"I wouldn't want Tze Yong to be looking any further than this match as he will need to continue his good form to get through.
"His inclusion is a great opportunity for him, but I won't be placing any strict targets. I want Tze Yong to try his best and learn as much as possible," said Jones today.
Should Tze Yong continue his fine showing, which saw him beat reigning world champion Loh Kean Yew of Singapore, and India's Thomas Cup winner K. Srikanth in Birmingham, he will likely face Axelsen in the third round.
The Dane, who has already won five titles this season, will play Liew Daren in the first round.
All eyes will also be on world No 5 Lee Zii Jia, who courted controversy by quitting the national team in January and then choosing to sit out of the Commonwealth Games to focus on the world meet.
The reigning Asian champion, who retired in the quarter-finals of the previous edition in Huelva, will face France's Brice Leverdez in the first round. He is slated to face last year's finalist Srikanth in the last eight.
Zii Jia is in the bottom half of the draw with two-time former champion Kento Momota of Japan, Commonwealth Games champion Lakshya Sen of India and Kean Yew, who the Malaysian is likely to face should he reach the semi-finals.
In the women's singles draw, S. Kisona will play Vietnam's Vu Thi Trang in the first round. Barring any upsets, the 23-year-old will take on 15th seed Mia Blichfeldt of Denmark in the second round.
Compatriot Soniia Cheah will play Indonesia's Putri Kusuma Wardani in the first round.