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KUALA LUMPUR – National badminton ace Lee Zii Jia did not disappoint as he brought Kento Momota to his knees in the 2022 Thomas Cup final Group D match held at the Impact Arena in Bangkok today.
In the most anticipated showdown, Zii Jia turned the tables on the world number two and two-time BWF world champion to seal his victory 21-17, 21-8 in the 46-minute contest.
“I didn’t want to overthink, just focused on my best fight for Malaysia. My main target was to be the champion for the group and qualify in the quarterfinals,” said the world number 6.
Zii Jia’s win against Momota gave a boost of confidence to men’s doubles Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin Rumsani as the pair overpowered fourth-ranked Takuro Hoki-Yugo Kobayashi in 46 minutes.
In the nail-biting affair, Sze Fei-Izzuddin delivered a variety of swift smashes at the start of the game to eventually score 21-19.
Dubbed by fans DinFei faced some resistance from their opponent in the second set but not before taking a 21-16 victory in the Group D closer.
“Throughout the game, all I did was trust my partner,” Izzuddin said.
“We were also motivated knowing that our coach trusts us to play our best, which we did,” Sze Fei added.
Meanwhile, expectations were high for national singles shuttler Daren Liew to deliver the third point for Malaysia, but the 35-year-old was subdued by Kanta Tsuneyama in the hour-long match.
The veteran independent had suffered from a minor injury on his right ankle in the midway of the second set.
Despite the pain, Daren managed to play on but lost the second set 22-20.
Presenting the third and winning point was scratch pair Aaron Chia-Teoh Ee Yi as the duo went against Akira Koga-Yuta Watanabe through an intense straight set 22-20, 21-17.
“We are happy we get to win for team Malaysia. It wasn’t easy, but we did our best. (Pairing with Ee Yi) is not really a big difference for me because what matters is our strategy,” Aaron said.
“We also communicated well with each other on the court, knowing who’s covering the front court and who’s covering the back,” Ee Yi echoed.
Fielded as the third men’s singles Leong Jun Hao, however, struggled to contribute a point during his match against Kenta Nishimoto 6-21, 21-19, 15-21.
Malaysia will face Group C runners up India in the quarterfinals on Thursday night at 8pm. – The Vibes, May 11, 2022
