KUALA LUMPUR: Hong Kong's Angus Ng is eager to begin working with his former rival, Loh Wei Sheng of Malaysia.
Wei Sheng's appointment follows a recent coaching department restructure by head trainer Wong Choong Hann.
The 32-year-old Wei Sheng is a former badminton player. He is one of three additions to the coaching staff, alongside Tan Bin Shen for men's doubles and Jeremy Gan for mixed doubles.
"They're all experienced coaches whom Wong trusts deeply. They'll be joining us after Chinese New Year, and I'm eager to see how we'll gel together," Angus told reporters on Thursday, after advancing to his second consecutive Malaysia Open quarter-finals at Axiata Arena with a gruelling 84-minute victory over world No. 19 Toma Junior Popov, 23-21, 10-21, 21-17, of France.
For 30-year-old Angus, working with Wei Sheng brings his career full circle.
"We were rivals during the Asian Juniors," Angus recalled with a smile.
"Being from the same generation, with just a two-year age gap, it's interesting how our paths have crossed again. He transitioned to coaching early, so I've often seen him at international tournaments."
Wei Sheng joins the Hong Kong team after building his coaching credentials as assistant women's singles coach for Malaysia and assistant singles coach for Singapore.
When asked about still competing while many of his peers have moved into coaching, Angus's response was straightforward: "I still love playing and competing. That's what keeps me going."
The appointment builds on Angus's existing relationship with Choong Hann, who became his singles coach in July 2023 before assuming the head coach role in October.
"He's helped me in many ways," Angus said. "Beyond court tactics, he understands how to work with senior players like myself - designing training programmes that prevent burnout and injuries while maintaining effectiveness."
The Malaysian influence in the coaching team could prove particularly valuable when facing Malaysian players like Lee Zii Jia, Leong Jun Hao, and Ng Tze Yong.
"They've developed many Malaysian players and understand their training methods inside out," Angus said.
This marks Angus's seventh Malaysia Open appearance, with his previous best being last year's quarter-final finish.
On his prospects of reaching the semi-finals this time, he remained grounded: "That's the goal, but I'm taking it one match at a time."