KUALA LUMPUR – Independent men’s singles shuttler Lee Zii Jia stormed into the quarterfinals of the Super 750 China Masters by defeating the home favourite, Lu Guang Zu, at the Shenzhen Bay Gymnasium today.
The 25-year-old Kedahan started the match strongly, winning the first game 21-10.
Without hesitation, he sealed the deal and left no room for his opponent to progress, defeating the world number 16 Chinese shuttler in the second game 21-12 in a match that lasted 40 minutes.
World number 11 Zii Jia, who is seeking his sixth semifinal appearance on the World Tour this season, will either face Thailand’s reigning world champion Kunlavut Vitidsarn or Japan’s Kenta Nishimoto tomorrow to secure a slot in the semifinals.
Zii Jia’s victory in last month’s 2023 Arctic Open remains his only World Tour title victory of this season.
Meanwhile, Malaysia will continue its journey in the China Masters later today through men’s doubles shuttlers Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik, Man Wei Chong-Tee Kai Wun, and women’s singles player Goh Jin Wei.
Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik, who won the Denmark Open crown last month, will play newly crowned Kumamoto Masters champion He Ji Ting-Ren Xiang Yu, while Man Wei Chong-Tee Kai Wun will take on the tournament’s eighth seeds, Liu Yuchen-Ou Xuanyi of China.
Goh Jin Wei will face China’s world number three, Chen Yu Fei. – November 23, 2023