KUALA LUMPUR – Ng Tze Yong became the nation’s last hope to reclaim the men’s singles title at the Malaysia Open after Lee Zii Jia failed to move past the opening round.
World number two Zii Jia showcased his best moves to down Kodai Naraoka in the first set, 21-13.
However, the Japanese rising star, who was fast to climb up the ranks from number 42 in June to number seven this month, proved to be too strong of an opponent for the Kedah-born shuttler.
Zii Jia tried to maintain his energy to match his young opponent, but he was trailing at the beginning of the second and third sets, which eventually had him beaten 17-21, 19-21 in a match that concluded in 1h 13m.
“I feel disappointed, I thought I had tried my best, but this is the result that I get.
“Kodai is a good player. He was more patient and defensive than I am,” said Zii Jia after the match.
The 24-year-old shuttler also crashed out early at the Malaysia Open last year after losing to Indonesia’s Shesar Hiren Rhustavito in the second round.
He said that he has not regretted the match and will keep moving forward to focus on his next tournament, which is the India Open next week.
Meanwhile, his former teammate Ng Tze Yong easily thrashed Ireland’s Nhat Nguyen 21-4, 21-10 in 35 minutes.
Tze Yong, who has been climbing the ranks steadily from number 48 in June to 25 this month, is set to meet Naraoka in the second round on Thursday.
The only Malaysian women’s singles representative, Goh Jin Wei, also progressed into the second round after pulling off an upset against Germany’s Yvonne Li, 21-11, 21-18.
The independent shuttler, who was promoted from reserves, will face an uphill battle as she will face second seed An Se Young of South Korea. – The Vibes, January 11, 2023
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