Ng Tze Yong showed stamina and mental fortitude to seal a come-from-behind 15-21, 21-14, 21-11 victory over badminton world champion Loh Kean Yew in the men's singles quarter-finals of the 2022 Commonwealth Games.
Things started well for Singaporean on Birmingham's NEC show court on Saturday (6 August), as he unleashed several smash winners en route to victory in the first game.
But that seemed to kick the highly-rated Malaysian into gear, who took the second game 21-14.
Ng took an early 9-0 lead in the third game, but that score line did a disservice to the close nature of their high-quality rallies that were met with 'oohs' and 'aahs' from the near-capacity crowd.
After a brief fightback from Loh, 22-year-old Ng put the game to bed fittingly on match point with another stunning overhead smash.
"This is the biggest win of my career so far. I just feel amazing. I need to say thank you to the crowd, especially when I was tired they supported me a lot," Ng said after.
"I gave my best just now and I hope tomorrow can be the same. I hope to progress to the final but my next match is against a former world No.1."
READ MORE: Ng Tze Yong: Walking in Lee Chong Wei and Lee Zii Jia's footsteps
Loh has had a mixed Commonwealth Games, where he helped Singapore to mixed team bronze but failed to live up to his 2021 World Championships form.
"It’s disappointing, obviously, but in the first game I think I played better than I thought. I just need to go back, reflect, analyse with my coach what went wrong and then find the solution to it," Loh said after."I think most of [the pressure] it is from myself. I need to find out how to overcome the mental aspects. It’s not easy, so I’ll just keep trying.
"It’s [Being World No. 1] is definitely more tiring. I’ve been competing since May with only a little bit of a break. But every match I go into, I still try my best."
Ng on course for another Kidambi Srikanth showdown
It's been a great tournament for Ng so far, who was selected as a replacement for Lee Zii Jia.
He justified that inclusion by winning every match as Malaysia lifted the mixed team title.
The only game he dropped was in the final against India's Kidambi Srikanth, the man he will face next in the semi-finals.
Srikanth won silver at the 2018 edition of the Games, and will be buoyed by his recent Thomas Cup victory coupled with his desire to avenge his loss in the mixed team final.
If Ng prevails, a mouth-watering final in the form of second seed Lakshya Sen would likely await.
READ MORE: Loh Kean Yew becomes Singapore’s first badminton world champion
Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games : How to watch
Singapore sports fans will be able to catch Loh Kean Yew in action at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham on multiple platforms offered by local broadcaster, Mediacorp.
Viewers in Malaysia can enjoy free coverage of the event through digital service meWATCH, Mediacorp's free-to-air Channel 5 and YouTube.
Coverage in the host country is available on the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), with events live on BBC1 and BBC2 Television channels, with all events streaming on the iPlayer and BBC website.