Despite more than 2,000 fans cheering him on, 22-year-old Tze Yong, ranked 25th in the world, still fell short against world No 7 Naraoka, who disposed of world No 2 and Malaysia’s best hope Lee Zii Jia yesterday.

Tze Yong, who won the first game 21-15, was just two points away from victory in the second, only for Naraoka to fight back and take the match into a third game decider and dash the Malaysian’s hopes of victory.

This is the second time that Naraoka has beaten Tze Yong, having eliminated the Malaysian in the quarterfinals of the 2018 World Junior Championships in Canada.

“I accept my defeat. When I was leading (in the second game), he played very well and it wasn’t like I made silly mistakes. So, I feel that this is a lesson for me. He changed his strategy and maybe I was not very focused.

“There’s definitely a gap between me and Kodai, especially when it comes to experience. I must compete in more tournaments and work extra hard in training,” said a downcast Tze Yong.

Naraoka, who was in a buoyant mood, will take on HS Prannoy in tomorrow’s quarterfinals after the Indian shuttler edged Indonesia’s Chico Aura Wardoyo 21-9, 15-21, 21-16 today.

“I don’t know if I’m going to be the champion (in the Malaysia Open), but I am going to fight to win every single game,” said the Japanese.