Badminton: Top-ranked Chen crashes in Singapore
Angus Ng stunned Chen Long in the Singapore Open badminton quarter-finals on Friday.
SINGAPORE (AFP) - World number one Chen Long crashed out of the Singapore Open badminton quarter-finals Friday when he was stunned in straight sets by Hong Kong s Angus Ng.
The unseeded Ng dispatched Chen in 39 minutes, dazzling the crowd at Singapore s Indoor Stadium with a series of cleverly disguised drop shots to take the first set 21-14.
Despite trailing early in the second set, Ng clawed his way back to level at 14-14, before pulling ahead to seal the win at 21-18.
"It s a pity to have lost, especially since I was leading 14-7 in the second set," said Chen, 27, who will attempt to win his first Olympic title in August.
"To have thrown away 10 points, I feel that perhaps I was thinking about winning the second set and wasn t playing as rigorously as I should."
This is not Ng s first giant-killing act, having shocked two-time Olympic champion Lin Dan on home turf last November in the second round of the Hong Kong Open.
But he said Friday s upset win against Chen was one he did not foresee.
"That was out of my expectations. Despite going behind in the second set, I was able to keep calm," said the 21-year-old Ng.
"To have beaten an opponent of his (Chen s) calibre, it is a extremely good experience."
Ng will meet either China s Tian Houwei or South Korea s Son Wan-Ho in Saturday s semi-finals.
