KUALA LUMPUR – Lee Zii Jia kicked off his campaign at the Badminton Asia Championships in Chengdu, China, on a high note after defeating the unseeded Indian player, Priyanshu Rajawat, in the first round earlier today.
Rajawat, ranked 32nd in the world, struggled to keep pace with Zii Jia’s exceptional court control.
The 2022 Asian champion secured his spot in the second round with a 21-9, 21-13 victory after battling for 39 minutes.
Tomorrow, Zii Jia will face world number 15 Chou Tien-chen of Chinese Taipei, who secured his spot in the second round after his opponent, China’s Weng Hongyang, withdrew.
Tien-chen closed the first set with a score of 21-16, and was subsequently declared the winner as Hongyang could not continue the match into the second set.
For the record, out his eight meetings with Zii Jia, Tien-chen has won five, with the last encounter favouring the Chinese Taipei player.
However, in their most recent clash at the Sudirman Cup group stage last year, Zii Jia emerged victorious over Tien-chen in straight sets. – April 10, 2024