KUALA LUMPUR – Independent men’s singles shuttler Lee Zii Jia breezed through to the second round of the All England Open Badminton Championships, today.
The world No. 4 defeated Thailand’s Sitthikom Thammasin in straight sets, 21-12, 21-15, in 33 minutes.
He will either meet Japan’s Kenta Nishimoto or Canada’s Brian Yang next.
The win makes it Zii Jia’s fifth win against his 33rd-ranked opponent and it comes at a time when he needed it the most after a series of downward performances since his early exit at the French Open in October.
Prior to winning the Super 1000 event in 2021, Zii Jia was also going through a similar situation of poor displays until he managed to come back and claim the title.
Following his recent early-round defeat at the German Open, Zii Jia was seemingly frustrated with his performance and took to his social media with the post “I am f***ing done”.
Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh told the media that she wished to meet Zii Jia after his return from tournaments to discuss his performance as the Paris 2024 Olympic Games qualification starts on May 1. – The Vibes, March 15, 2023