Tze Yong said this was due to the fact that he rarely got a chance of meeting top shuttlers in the tournaments that he participated in the past.

The world No 48 player had earlier sprung a surprise against world No 31 Brian Yang 21-15, 21-15, in their first-ever meeting in the opening round at the Axiata Arena here, today.

The 22-year-old shuttler was pleased that he managed to catch the Canadian player by surprise as he dominated his opponent from start to finish en route to winning the game.

“I felt good about my performance as I managed to stage an upset against Brian and I hope to be more consistent tomorrow,” he told reporters after the match against the Canadian.

Meanwhile, it was another first-round exit for the veteran, Liew Daren, as he went down to the eighth seed, Angus Ng Ka Long of Hong Kong, 17-21, 15-21.

In the 2022 Malaysia Open last week, Daren fell to India’s HS Prannoy 14-21, 21-17, 17-21.

“I admit I was a little slow today. In fact, I played in pain due to a back groin injury that I suffered at the Thailand Open last week, but moving forward I just hope to get some rest,” Daren said.

Independent player, Soong Joo Ven’s journey in this tournament was also halted by China’s Li Shi Feng, losing in straight sets 14-21, 12-21.