KUALA LUMPUR – National badminton ace Lee Zii Jia booked his spot in the quarterfinals of the All England after beating Japan’s Kenta Nishimoto at the Utilita Arena in Birmingham.
Zii Jia beat Nishimoto 21-15, 21-10 in the round of 16 early this morning.
Zii Jia, who has been on the receiving end recently due to his poor form will face Nishimoto’s compatriot and world number six Kodai Naraoka in the last eight.
The last time the two met was at the Malaysian Open this year where Zii Jia lost in the first round at the Axiata Arena.
After the match, Zii Jia said he was relieved because this has been his best result so far this year.
“It’s the quarterfinals, so it means a lot to me. Hopefully, I can make it.
“I am going to focus on one match at a time, I am not thinking so far ahead,” he said.
However, the 2021 All England winner may have found some confidence in his game as he controlled and won both his early rounds matches convincingly.
He could be one of the favourites now to win the All England after many seeded players have been knocked out, including world number one Viktor Axelsen of Denmark.
Meanwhile, last night, another Malaysian singles player, Ng Tze Yong pulled off the biggest win of his career when he defeated defending champion Axelsen 21-15, 9-21, 23-21 to make it to the quarterfinals today. He will take on world number 14 Li Shi Feng of China.
Zii Jia and Tze Yong are the only Malaysians left in the tournament as the rest have been knocked out, including men’s doubles world champions Aaron Chia-Soh Woo Yik who lost in the first round. – The Vibes, March 17, 2023
