Ng bows out in quarter-finals
Ng Wei's defeat in the quarter-finals of the Malaysia Open in Kuantan showed how important the luck of the draw is likely to be at the Athens Olympics next month.
Hong Kong's world number 17 went out bravely to China's world number two Chen Hong on the second day of the tournament, losing 15-10, 13-15, 15-5. The 22-year-old Jiangsu-born Ng has now lost all five of his encounters with Chen, who is 20 months his senior.
The run includes defeats at the All England Championships in 2002 and 2003 and another Malaysia Open exit in 2001.
Ng, who's been hovering on the brink of breaking into the world's top 10 for the past couple of years, remains only an outside chance for a medal in Greece, but his hopes hinge primarily on a favourable draw in Athens. With the maximum of three Chinese players entered and only eight players to be seeded, one quarter of the draw for the men's singles may offer a marginally easier route to the semi-finals, or at least a path that promises no mainland opposition.
For Ng, the possibility of avoiding the Chinese contingent - presumably Chen, world number one Lin Dan, and either world champion Xia Xuanze or world number four Bao Chunlai, a selection that is likely to be made in the middle of this month - appears crucial.
