KUALA LUMPUR: Men's singles Ng Tze Yong is ready to take his status up a notch by establishing himself as a world top 10 player this year.
Having successfully achieved his mission to break into the top 20 in 2023, the 23-year-old will enter the season-opening Malaysia Open next week as the world No. 15.
Tze Yong has set breaking into the top 10 as one of his major goals, alongside securing his Olympic debut at the Paris Games.
While this objective may seem attainable on paper, reaching the top 10 in the fiercely competitive men's singles event poses a challenge.
From Malaysia's perspective, only three Malaysians — Lee Chong Wei, Liew Daren, and Lee Zii Jia — have accomplished this feat in the past decade.
"I aspire to reach the top 10, but achieving this requires me to stay injury-free throughout the season," said Tze Yong at Academy Badminton Malaysia in Bukit Kiara today.
To improve his current ranking, Tze Yong must secure victories in tournaments or consistently reach at least the semi-finals in higher-tier events on the World Tour.
His opportunity to do so comes with the resumption of the World Tour, featuring two major tournaments — the Malaysia Open and the India Open — in the next two weeks.
The Malaysia Open Super 1000 kicks off at the Axiata Arena next Tuesday, followed by the India Open Super 750 in New Delhi the following week.
Tze Yong will gain significant points in these tournaments if he performs well.
He was eliminated in the second round of the Malaysia Open, and the India Open saw him failing to progress past the opening round.
Scheduled to face Koki Watanabe in the opening round at the Malaysia Open, Tze Yong is optimistic that his month-long intensive preparation will translate into positive results in front of the home crowd.
"The first match is always tough, especially as the Malaysia Open marks the beginning of the year. I've undergone a solid one-month preparation, and I hope to see it pay off on the court.
"However, I'm aware that despite putting in a good effort, desirable results may not always follow.
"I'll give my best, as nobody wants to lose. I want to kick off the year with the best possible start."