KUALA LUMPUR – National top shuttler Lee Zii Jia emerged victorious at the 2022 Thailand Open, defeating China’s Li Shi Feng 17-21, 21-11, 23-21 in an hour and nine minutes.
At the Impact Arena in Bangkok today, the first set went back and forth as both shuttlers battled it out to gain an advantage, but the Chinese shuttler took the lead going into the second set.
Zii Jia took charge in the second set, leading the whole time as he won 21-11 and forced a third set showdown.
However, things looked bleak for Zii Jia in the final set, but he managed to chase down his opponent who had a commanding lead to win the final set 23-21.
In the semi-finals yesterday, Zii Jia took down veteran compatriot Liew Daren 21-16, 13-21, 21-14 in 51 minutes to make his way into the finals.
Meanwhile, women’s world number two Tai Tzu Ying beat Olympic champion Chen Yu Fei 21-15, 17-21, 21-12 in the women’s singles final to win the title.
The rematch comes after last year’s Tokyo Olympics final, where Yu Fei got the better of Tzu Ying for the gold medal match.
The 27-year-old Taiwanese star was off to a good start after opening up a nine-point lead in the first game. However, Yu Fei came back stronger in the second set with a 21-17 win and forced the match into a third set.
In the third set, Tzu Ying quickly sped up to a seven-point lead and kept her cool to claim the win.
The women’s doubles final was an all-Japanese affair as Nami Matsuyama-Chiharu Shida took on Mayu Matsumoto-Wakana Nagahara.
In the end, Matsuyama-Shida triumphed and won the match 17-21, 21-15, 26-24. – The Vibes, May 22, 2022
