Zii Jia crashes out of World Championship

KUALA LUMPUR – It was a disappointing end to world No. 5 Lee Zii Jia’s World Championship campaign as he crashed out in the round of 16 after losing to China’s Zhao Jun Peng 21-19, 11-21, 21-19 today.  

At the Metropolitan Gymnasium in Tokyo, Japan, Zii Jia started on the back foot as he trailed in the first set, but the national top shuttler then bounced back in the second set against 23rd seed Jun Peng, forcing the match into the third set. 

However, Jun Peng came from behind in the third set to send Zii Jia home and book his spot in the quarterfinals tomorrow, where he will play India’s Prannoy H. S. after he took down fellow Indian Lakshya Sen 17-21, 21-16, 21-17 in the round of 16 today.

“I made a lot of mistakes today and I still need to stabilise my performance and be more patient.

“Jun Peng had good control of the game,” Zii Jia said after the match.

Zii Jia first encountered Jun Peng at their German Open this year and defeated him in straight sets.

Meanwhile, mixed doubles pair Goh Soon Huat-Lai Shevon Jemie defeated Thom Gicquel-Delphine Delrue 21-16, 21-4 in 38 minutes to progress to the quarterfinals tomorrow. 

“We have found our rhythm, especially our consistency and pace control,” said Shevon after the match. 

They will take the court against world No. 3 Japanese pair Yuta Watanabe-Arisa Higashino tomorrow. 

“Our target is the semifinals this year, since we made it to the quarterfinals in the last edition,” she added.

Also joining them in the next round was Tan Kian Meng-Lai Pei Jing who defeated Kyohei Yamashita-Naru Shinoya 21-12, 21-14. They now face world No. 2 pair, Zheng Si Wei-Huang Ya Qiong of China. 

In the men’s doubles category, world No. 6 pair Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik won against fellow compatriots Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin 21-17, 21-19. 

However, it was the end of the road for Commonwealth Games gold medallists Pearly Tan-Thinaah Muralitharan as they failed to overpower fifth-ranked Japanese duo Nami Matsuyama-Chiharu Shida. They lost 21-16, 21-16. 

The other women’s doubles pair Vivian Hoo-Lim Chiew Sien were also knocked out by third-seeded South Korean pair Lee So Hee-Shin Seung Chan after losing 21-13, 21-16. – The Vibes, August 25, 2022