Angus Ng Ka-long proves no match for Son Wan-ho in Singapore Open
A day after beating the world No 1 Chen Long, Hong Kong star fails to continue the momentum and loses in straight games against South Korean in the Saturday’s semi-final
Hong Kong’s hopes of reaching the badminton final of the Singapore Open were dashed on Saturday when Angus Ng Ka-long suffered a straights-set defeat at the hands of South Korean Son Wan-ho in their semi-final.
I lost the first set too quickly and took too long to find my rhythm. I didn’t play as well as I could have
Two-time Olympic champion Lin Dan became the next casualty when he suffered a stunning defeat at the hands of Indonesian qualifier Sony Dwi Kuncoro in the other men’s semi-final game.
Ng, who overcame top seed Chen Long of China on Friday, was unable to repeat this feat following a 22-20, 21-16 loss in 47 minutes.
But Ng’s result in the last Superseries tournament before the Olympic qualification closes at the end of the month has given him an edge over compatriots Hu Yun and Wei Nan.
Two tournaments remain for them to make the Rio Games, beginning with the China Masters this week and the Asian Championships.
The 32-year-old Lin, who has never won the tournament, trailed early on against the composed 2004 Olympic bronze medallist Kuncoro, who raced to a 11-4 lead before taking the first set 21-10.
The Chinese superstar salvaged the second set to win 21-17, but the 31-year-old Indonesian kept his cool to seal a nail-biting 22-20 victory in the final set.