IT was not quite the year-end finish national No 1 Ng Eain Yow had in mind after crashing out in the first round of the Black Ball Open Championships.
The 22-year-old had been riding high on the back of his strong showing at the Qatar Classic last month, which elevated him to a career-high number 27 in the world.
But the Kuala Lumpur-born was unable to handle the physical presence of World No 17 Omar Mosaad of Egypt as he lost 11-8, 11-5, 11-6 in Cairo on Sunday.
Omar, a former World No 3, also known as the 'Hammer of Thor' with his 1.93m frame and hard-hitting style, took control right from the start as he made life uncomfortable for Eain Yow.
The Malaysian did show flashes of brilliance as he tried hard to stay in the game with Omar.
But he made numerous unforced errors to bow out after 43 minutes.
"It was a tough game, and Omar was on top of his game today (Sunday)," admitted Eain Yow.
"The most frustrating part for me was I could not play my game on court.
"Omar did not give me enough opportunities to get into the game.
"I felt that I didn't trouble him enough.
"That is the end of the 2020 calendar for me. Hopefully, we'll have positive news of what events will come next year.
"I will be returning to Bristol to keep on working on my game," added Eain Yow, who trains under coach Hadrian Stiff.