Steady pace: Lee Zii Jia returns a shot to Kunlavut Vitidsarn of Thailand in the third round. Zii Jia won 10-21, 21-19, 21-6. — S.S.KANESAN/The Star
IT was classic Lee Zii Jia – delivering the goods when it was least expected of him.
Few would have bet on the Malaysian getting past world champion Kunlavut Vitidsarn of Thailand at the Hangzhou Asian Games although he has shown some glimpses of his old form.
And those who betted against Zii Jia could have been smug after the Thai, who became his nation’s first men’s singles world champion in Copenhagen in August, won the first game 21-10.
But the Malaysian had other ideas. He battled back to beat Kunlavut 21-19, 21-6 in the next two games to book his last eight berth after a 58-minute battle.
He was especially superb in the second game when he came back from 6-11 down to break the rhythm of Kunlavut, one of the fittest players on the circuit.
The 22-year-old Thai has been in the form of his life in recent months while Zii Jia has been struggling, so the independent shuttler was naturally overjoyed.
“He won the world championships, so of course, he has much more confidence. But I just don’t want to give up ,” said Zii Jia. “As always, I keep trying my best every time I play.”
Earlier, there had been doubts about Zii Jia, the world No.16, after he lost to world No. 46 Jeon Hyeok-jin in the men’s team last 16 clash which saw Korea beating Malaysia 3-1.
Zii Jia then promised to give a good account of himself in the individual event and has lived up to his promise so far, starting with a win over Hong Kong’s Angus Ng Ka Long who beat him in the Korea Open in July.
In the last eight today, Zii Jia will meet in-form H.S. Prannoy, who overcame Dimitriy Panarin of Kazakhstan 21-12, 21-13.
Prannoy was a semi-finalist at the World Championships but Zii Jia will be motivated to continue his run and end his struggle with a medal by pushing for a semi-final spot.
Zii Jia’s heroics seemed to have positive effect on debutant Ng Tze Yong, who then defeated another Thai shuttler Kantaphon Wangcharoen 21-17, 21-12 in 59 minutes to march into the last eight.
Awaiting Tze Yong in the quarter-final is second seed Kodai Naraoka of Japan, who beat India’s K. Srikanth 21-16, 21-17.
However, it was the end of the road for Malaysia in the women’s singles as Goh Jin Wei could not match Indonesia’s Gregoria Mariska who secured a 21-6, 21-12 in 27 minutes in the third round.
Jin Wei was in tears afterwards.
“It was very disappointing as I didn’t give my best. It wasn’t the result I really wanted,” Jin Wei told Astro Arena.
Her defeat left Malaysia without a women’s singles representative in the quarter-finals for a third consecutive edition. Wong Mew Choo was the last player to reach the stage in the 2010 Guangzhou Asiad.
