Hong Kong’s Angus Ng blows four championship match points in Thailand Open final defeat
- The 25-year-old comes within a whisker of scoring a major upset in Bangkok
- World No 12 was looking for his second major tournament triumph after his 2016 Hong Kong Open victory
It was supposed to be a fairy-tale ending but it turned out to be a nightmare for Hong Kong’s Angus Ng Ka-long after he failed to convert four championship match points in his loss to Taiwan’s Chou Tien-chen in the men’s singles badminton final at the Thailand Open on Sunday.
The 25-year-old Ng was a point away from scoring one of his greatest triumphs, leading 20-16 in the third game only to watch in bemusement as 29-year-old Chou came back fiercely to complete an unlikely 21-14, 11-21, 23-21 victory in Bangkok.
Both players collapsed on court before embracing each other at the end of the thrilling match to the delight of the crowd. But spare a thought for the Hong Kong world No 12, who must be kicking himself after blowing a golden chance to add another major trophy to his mantelpiece.
“I just wanted to show the people here how I play,” said world No 3 Chou after the 66-minute, high intensity final played at the Indoor Stadium Huamark in the Thai capital. “I love you guys, thank you.”
Ng was despondent after the match but still managed a smile. “I had my chances [to win]. I definitely thought I had a chance of wrapping it up [when leading 20-16 in the third game]. But I was a bit nervous at that point and rushed things a bit, trying to close it out too quickly instead of playing my usual [patient] game. He also stepped up his game. I will learn from this,” said the Hong Kong star.
Ng was hoping to clinch his second major title after becoming the first home player to win the Hong Kong Open in 2016. And deep in the third game, it looked like he was well on his way to victory in the Super 500 tournament despite a poor start in the first game.
