KUALA LUMPUR – Malaysia’s men’s singles player, Lee Zii Jia, successfully killed off a comeback attempt by Japan’s Kodai Naraoka in the first round of the All England Championship today.
Naraoka, who is the sixth seed in the tournament, nearly seized the opportunity from Zii Jia, but the Kedah-born player stopped Naraoka by winning 21-12, 21-19, after a 49-minute battle.
The 25-year-old shuttler breathed a sigh of relief as he managed to avoid being a first-round casualty at the Super 1000 event.
On paper, Naraoka came in as the sixth seed and is well-known for his high stamina and ability to drag matches into rubber sets.
However, Zii Jia did not allow that to happen, even though, at one point, Naraoka managed to stall his opponent in the second set before Zii Jia closed out the match with a straight sets score.
“As you can see, I was more focused on my attacking shots today, and it worked. I think every time we face Naraoka, it will be a tough game.
“He is a good player with strong defensive skills,” said Zii Jia to BWF in a post-match interview.
At the same time, Zii Jia also shared his thoughts on the speed of the shuttlecock used in this tournament, which he described as “very fast”.
For him, it depends on the player’s adaptability because there are several players, especially those with an attacking style, who he said will appreciate the fast-paced match.
“As you can see, the shuttle is very fast, and I think compared to a few years back, this is the fastest shuttle I’ve played within the All England.
“Of course, for attacking players, it is an advantage, but at the same time, you need to control it because it is easy to make many unforced errors,” he added.
Zii Jia is set to face Singaporean player Loh Kean Yew in the second round tomorrow after defeating Angus Ng Ka Long of Hong Kong with a score of 21-12, 21-17. – March 13, 2024