KUALA LUMPUR – Going toe-to-toe against a sport’s world number one is never an easy feat, but national shuttler Lee Zii Jia has been praised for his positive performance against top seed Viktor Axelsen.
Fifth-ranked Zii Jia was knocked out of the Indonesian Open in the semi-finals by Axelsen in a thrilling back-and-forth display of world-class badminton.
Even though the loss meant Zii Jia missed out on the opportunity to claim the title, many took to social media and applauded the 24-year-old’s efforts for putting up a tough fight for Axelsen.
“Almost there, so close. It’s alright, it was such an interesting match, both were chasing each other. Regardless I am so proud of Zii Jia, don’t give up, you are a Malaysian hero,” said a user on Facebook.
Another user said, “Was so satisfying to watch even though he lost, he really gave it all on the court. Luck just wasn’t on his side.”
Zii Jia proved to be a tougher opponent for the Danish shuttler. After beating Zii Jia, Axelsen faced China’s Zhao Jun Peng in the finals but seemed to have been unchallenged as he won the match 21-9, 21-10 in 38 minutes.
The final was a stark difference compared to the match against Zii Jia, which took an hour and 10 minutes and ended 19-21, 21-11, 23-21.
Zii Jia even looked like he would be able to win the match after coming from behind in the rubber set from four points down to tie it up at 20-20.
Host country Indonesia’s fans also seemed to agree that Zii Jia was the only one currently on the world stage that is a match for Axelsen.
“Zii Jia is strong in terms of his mental and physical abilities to be playing professionally. Today’s loss can’t be blamed on any one factor,” said a netizen.
“Zii Jia plays like Lee Chong Wei, mentally strong until the end. Losing in the third set with a match point would have crushed many other players, but Zii Jia kept going and soon I know he can be world champion,” said another user.
The next tournament on the BWF calendar is the Malaysia Open that kicks off on the 28th of this month. – The Vibes, June 20, 2022.
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