DEFENDING champion Lee Zii Jia defeated France's Christo Popov in the first round of the Arctic Open today.
The World No. 4 who captured the title last year, stayed steady throughout the match to come away with a 21-15, 21-11 win over world No. 27 Popov in 43 minutes at the Energia Arena in Vantaa, Finland.
Zii Jia also beat Popov in their sole previous encounter at the 2022 German Open.
The independent player will face either China's Lei Lanxi or Japan's Yushi Tanaka in the second round tomorrow. - October 9, 2024
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