Angus Ng Ka Long
Angus Ng Ka Long produced one of the standout results of the opening round with a 21-18 21-19 at the French Open badminton championships, outclassing Anders Antonsen to book his place in the last 16.
The Hong Kong China shuttler arrived with a clear game plan: extend the rallies and test Antonsen’s legs. The Dane made back-to-back finals including at his home event, the Denmark Open recently.
“I really hoped he would have a very tired body because of his previous finals in the past two weeks. I tried to play longer rallies, so maybe I would have some advantage.”
Instead, Antonsen looked to shorten exchanges and dictate the pace from the outset. Fortunately for Ng, there were few surprises. The pair regularly train together in Hong Kong China and know each other’s games inside out.
“I always train with Anders in Hong Kong, so we know each other very well.”
Ng knew he would need to cope with Antonsen’s trademark attacks and varied shot-making against what he described as a player who is “very all-round”.
His answer was simple: trust every aspect of his own game.
“Every time I have a chance to play against him, I try to get myself relaxed and just play whatever I have. I need to take out all my weapons in order to win.”
The win sends Ng through to a second-round meeting with Alwi Farhan as he looks to continue an encouraging run on the European swing after defeating Lin Chun-Yi 21-16 13-21 21-18.
Fresh from lifting the Denmark Open title, home favourite Alex Lanier also progressed, defeating Jason Gunawan 21-19 21-16 in front of an enthusiastic Paris crowd.
“They honestly pushed me today.”
Lanier was happy to renew acquaintances with Gunawan, a close friend whom he had not faced since 2019. “It’s a pleasure to play him. I went to Hong Kong China quite a few times to train with him.”
Lanier’s path has become even more intriguing following the withdrawal of former French Open champion Shi Yu Qi. The 2024 winner pulled out before the tournament and has since applied for a protected ranking, removing one of the leading contenders from the men’s singles field while creating opportunities for the chasing pack.
Lanier will take on Panitchaphon Teeraratakul in their fifth encounter this year.
Patience to Progress for Taiwanese pair
Wang Chi-Lin-Chiu Hsiang Chieh upset Denmark Open champions Fajar Alfian-Muhammad Shohibul Fikri 26-24 21-13.
Chi-Lin believed patience proved decisive against the in-form Indonesians arriving in Paris fresh from last week’s title-winning run.
“We played more patiently and they weren’t as fast as last week.”
Hsian-Chieh added: “We did very well today. We’re really good at playing at the front of the court and today we blocked their advantage.”
