Badminton star Angus Ng Ka-long chats with rival Viktor Axelsen in Chinese ahead of BWF World Championships

“I’ll most likely be facing Denmark’s Viktor Axelsen,” said Ng. “I’ve never beaten him before. He’s a great competitor, so I need to focus on him.”

Ng is 0-4 against the 1.93-metre Dane, a record which stretches back to their junior days. While he does not consider it to be a particularly fierce rivalry, bragging rights are certainly up for grabs.

Both turned 23 this year, both hold very impressive junior records, both have defeated some of the world’s best, and both are very popular with Chinese media – Axelsen has wowed with his fluent Chinese speaking abilities.

Ng, by mere coincidence, is spending time in Axelsen’s home country in preparation for the championships.

“Preparations are good. I’m spending one week in Denmark to get used to the European time zone and climate. I want to be as ready as possible,” he reveals.

The pair met earlier this week, and communication was smooth. “We met and spoke in Chinese, but before the match, both of us will stay focused,” Ng says.