SHAH ALAM – Lee Zii Jia gave Malaysia a good headstart in the semi-finals of the Badminton Asia Team Championships (BATC) currently held at the Setia City Convention Centre here today.
The 10th-ranked shuttler danced his way to defeating Japan’s Kenta Nishimoto in his opening men’s singles match, 21-18, 21-15, in 51 minutes.
With hundreds of Malaysian fans cheering his name, Zii Jia created the moment of the day for his fans by doing a “shimmy” while leading his Japanese opponent in the middle of the second set.
Zii Jia said that the dance was meant to distract him from some of his ongoing issues.
“I danced in the middle of the match not because I was arrogant or disrespectful to my opponent.
“I did it to entertain the crowd and also to distract myself from some of my ongoing problems in life.
“I was trying to enjoy the game and also not think a lot by stressing myself,” said Zii Jia after his match.
The 25-year-old also said that he was delighted to take revenge on his opponent after losing at last year’s China Masters quarterfinals, 11-21, 12-21, further emphasising that he was always ready to play for the country whenever he is fit.
“I have lost to this opponent before, and even I’m surprised that I have won against him. Before my game today, my coaching team did a lot of preparations by analyzing my opponent’s gameplay and preparing me well for today’s victory.
“Looking at the three BATC matches that I have played so far, I can see a lot of positive progress in my gameplay, and it has definitely boosted my confidence to do better in the games to come.
“Even I can’t predict my health conditions. Last month, when I played in the Indonesia Masters, I had to pull out due to food poisoning. My performance is based on the condition of the day.
“Today’s game is definitely not my best performance. As long as I can play and if my body is okay and fit, I will keep playing for the country.
“My team will keep observing my conditions from time to time. If my health condition is good, I will play, or else I will walk out,” Zii Jia added.
Malaysia then sealed their second point with a stellar performance from the men’s doubles pair Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik, who outmatched Japan’s Akira Koga-Taichi Saito with a score of 15-21, 21-17, 21-10 in a 76-minute battle.
Wooi Yik, who celebrates his 26th birthday today, said that it was an amazing feeling for him to win a crucial match for his country on his special day.
“In the previous edition in 2022, I lost my match against this same pair during my birthday. Now I’m happy that I managed to emerge triumphant against them on my birthday as well.
“My main birthday wish for this year is obviously to win the Olympic gold medal with my partner Aaron for Malaysia in this year’s Paris Olympics,” said Wooi Yik.
Meanwhile, Leong Jun Hao endured a challenging task against Koki Watanabe, ultimately succumbing in a hard-fought rubber-set battle with scores of 21-19, 12-21, 19-21.
The gruelling encounter spanned an intense 88 minutes, marking the second men’s singles match of the last-four round of the tournament.
Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin Rumsani once again maintained their clean record in the tournament as they sealed the deal for Malaysia by defeating Kenya Mitsuhashi-Hiroki Okamura 21-15,21-19 in a match that lasted 53 minutes.
Malaysia has secured a spot in this year’s Thomas Cup finals in China, slated from April 28 to May 5, among the top four teams from BATC.
They are set to take China, who overpowered South Korea 3-2, in tomorrow evening’s final showdown. – February 17, 2024