KUALA LUMPUR – National singles ace Lee Zii Jia produced a scintillating performance en route to clinching his maiden All England Badminton Championships Men’s Singles title, with a pulsating 30-29, 20-22, 21-9 win over Viktor Axelsen of Denmark in Birmingham today.
Lee was in his element in a closely fought first game as he used his powerful cross-court smashes to take an 11-10 lead at the interval.
Both players then fought neck-and-neck until the game was halted due to Axelsen’s bloodied knee when the game was tied at 20-20. That, however, did not stop Axelsen from putting up a good fight, although Lee stayed calm, cool and composed to edge out the battling Dane 30-29.
The second game saw Axelsen taking charge to lead 14-11 before Lee found his rhythm to win seven straight points to go 18-14 ahead. But that was just the wake-up call the defending champion needed as he struck back to win 22-20 and set up a mouth-watering rubber game.
Lee was a transformed player in the third game as he stepped on the gas to take a commanding 11-5 lead at the interval.
With the Dane fast wilting, the Malaysian never took his foot off the pedal, and when Axelsen sent a backhand return out wide on match point, Lee let out a scream of joy to seal his victory after a thrilling 74-minute battle at the Utilita Arena. – Bernama, March 21, 2021
