KUALA LUMPUR: Ng Eain Yow hopes to shine in the British Open on May 20-26 following his impressive performances of late.
The 21-year-old has shown good consistency this season and did well to scalp defending champion Max Lee of Hong Kong en route to the semi-finals of the recent Asian Individual Championships before losing to eventual winner Saurav Ghosal (of India) in the semi-finals.
Eain Yow said his recent performances, including his quarter-final feat at last month’s Macau Open, will offer him the confidence for the prestigious PSA Platinum event in Hull.
"I will be training with the El Shorbagy brothers (Marwan and Mohamed) in Bristol in the lead up to the British Open.
“I need to play with more top 10 players if I am to continue improving,” said Eain Yow on Tuesday.
The World No 36 added that he is generally pleased with his performance so far this year but is definitely keen on making more improvements to his game.
"I am happy that I have not lost to a player ranked lower than me so far this year.
"There have been a few tough draws where I had to play top 10 players in the early rounds this year but I am always happy to do so. These matches will help me to become a better player.
"I always get feedback from my coaches as well as criticism. I am not afraid of criticism as I consider it as advice for me to improve myself,” he added.
Eain Yow will play World No 22 Tom Richards of England in his opening match while Ivan Yuen, the only other Malaysia in the British Open men's draw, will face Scotsman Greg Lobban in the first round.
In the women's draw, Nicol David will open against teammate Rachel Arnold while Low Wee Wern, who also made the semi-finals at the Asian meet, plays England's Fiona Moverly.
The British Open will be Nicol's final tournament before she retires but before that she will compete in the Manchester Open which starts on Thursday.
She will play Canadian Samantha Cornett in her first round match in Manchester.