No doubt, Ng Tze Yong is one of the most exciting players around in world badminton.
However, despite his impressive form, the world No 60 still lacks the speed and endurance to match top shuttlers.
And the youngster realises that he has to work on both elements to one day become a world-beater.
On Saturday, the 22-year-old got off to a fine start when he took a game off former Asian junior champion Lakshya Sen in the semi-finals of the India Open in New Delhi.
Unfortunately, Tze Yong who bagged three lower-tier titles last season, ran out of steam and lost the match 19-21, 21-16, 21-12.
While the Johor-born was fairly pleased with his overall performance in the competition, Tze Yong admitted that he was outclassed by the Indian world No 17.
"Overall, I'm happy to have made the semi-finals because this is my first Super 500 event.
"However, I couldn't keep up with my opponent after winning the first game.
"I managed to win the first game, but when he (Lakshya) switched gears in the following games, I was left trailing.
"I will need to work on my endurance and speed if I want to go far," Tze Yong told the BA of Malaysia (BAM) in a post-match interview.
Apart from winning the Belgian International, as well as the Polish and Scottish Opens last year, Tze Yong had also impressed at the Sudirman Cup in Finland and the Thomas Cup in Denmark.
Should Tze Yong continue to show progress this year, he will definitely be touted as a medal prospect for the 2024 Paris Olympics, alongside his senior teammate Lee Zii Jia.
Tze Yong will now focus on this week's Super 300 Syed Modi International.
He will play Indian shuttler Ajay Jayaram in the first round.
