KUALA LUMPUR – Lee Zii Jia smashed his way into the men’s singles quarter-finals at the Hangzhou Asian Games after defeating Thailand’s reigning world champion Kunlavut Vitidsarn.
In the exhilarating match that was decided in a rubber game, the former All-England champion took 57 minutes to defeat his opponent with a score of 10-21, 21-19, 21-6.
The world number 16 will be facing India’s world number seven H.S. Prannoy in the quarters at the Binjiang Gymnasium tomorrow.
Meanwhile, in the mixed doubles, Chen Tang Jie-Toh Ee Wei fought hard to defeat India’s world number 91 pair, K. Sai Pratheek-Tanisha Crasto.
The Malaysians won the game 21-18, 21-18 in a match that lasted for 48 minutes.
The world number nine pair will have a tougher match in the next round, facing China’s world number ones Zheng Siwei-Huang Yaqiong.
However, fellow mixed doubles Goh Soon Huat-Shevon Lai saw their challenge end in the last 16 as they fell short against Thailand’s world number 12 Supak Jomkoh-Supissara Paewsampran.
The world number 11 Malaysians who were runners-up in the 2023 Swiss Open lost 21-17, 21-23, 13-21 in a match that lasted for 56 minutes. – October 4, 2023