KUALA LUMPUR – After a 16-year wait, Malaysian men’s singles badminton finally saw a champion at the Australian Open today as Lee Zii Jia secured the title after defeating Kodai Naraoka of Japan in the final.
In an intense showdown at the Quaycentre, Sydney, Zii Jia secured a hard-fought 21-19, 11-21, 21-18 win over his Japanese opponent to claim the Australian Open title after a 78-minute battle.
This win marks his second title of the year, following his earlier victory at the Thailand Open in mid-May.
The last time a Malaysian men’s singles player emerged as the champion of the Australian Open was through Lee Tsuen Seng in 2008.
With the Australian Open concluded, Zii Jia now stands in a strong position, bolstered by an improved world ranking and heightened confidence as he prepares for the Paris Olympics next month.
Meanwhile, in a notable debut partnership, professional women’s doubles duo Lai Pei Jing and Lim Chiew Sien finished as runners-up at the Australian Open.
Pei Jing and Chiew Sien faced a tough challenge from Indonesia’s second-seeded pair, Febriana Kusuma and Amallia Pratiwi, ultimately losing the final 12-21, 21-7, 21-13.
Their commendable performance earned them US$15,960 (RM75,323), providing a welcome boost to Pei Jing as she recovers from an online scam.
Furthermore, Pei Jing, alongside Tan Kian Meng in the mixed doubles, earned US$5,880 for making the semi-finals. – June 16, 2024