Photo: IZZRAFIQ ALIAS/The Star
CHENGDU: Shuttler Shi Yuqi is a mastermind.
And in order to beat the Chinese maestro, Lee Zii Jia says that he needs to use the right strategy to give Malaysia a dream start against China in today’s semi-finals in the Thomas Cup Finals.
Malaysia take on the home team and 10-time winners with a place in the final at stake and Zii Jia will again be key to the team’s hopes of causing an upset.
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World No. 2 Yuqi is also out to get his team off to a good start in the first singles and he is known as one of the players who can read his opponents’ movements accurately.
The Chinese ace does not only hold the advantage based on rankings but also has beaten Zii Jia four times in their last five meetings.The 26-year-old’s sole victory over Yuqi came in the quarter-finals of the 2020 Malaysian Masters.
The duo last met in the semi-finals of the All-England last year where the 28-year-old came away with a 21-19, 21-13 win.
“When I last met him, Yuqi played a very good game and strategy-wise, he had prepared well,” Zii Jia said.
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This time, Zii Jia needs to get his game plan spot on to have any chance of gaining revenge over Yuqi and giving Malaysia a valuable point.
The independent player should be high on confidence after a dominant 21-13, 21-3 win over Japan’s world No. 11 Kenta Nishimoto in just 33 minutes in the last eight.
The victory paved the way for Malaysia to beat Japan 3-1 and reach their first semi-final in eight years.
“This win does give me a boost for the next match,” said Zii Jia.“My netplay gave me an advantage in this match and I’m very happy to be able to get the win quickly.”
Yuqi on the other hand had to slog for 66 minutes to beat India’s world No. 9 H. S. Prannoy 15-21, 21-11, 21-14 in China’s 3-1 win over India.
The Chinese also surprisingly dropped the opening game 14-21 against South Korea’s world No. 47 Jeon Hyeok-jin before coming back to win 21-17, 21-7 in 68 minutes in his team’s 3-2 win in their last group tie.
Will China take the risk and rest Yuqi and move up Li Shifeng to the first singles?
Coach Wong Tat Meng said: "If Zii Jia gets to meet Shi, considering their current status, condition and performance, Shi definitely has the advantage over Zii Jia."
"As such, Zii Jia will go onto the court with the mindset to learn and grow. He will do his best in every aspect - stay focused and fight for every point. This is what we would like to see.
"It's always good to win, but there are no regrets if Zii Jia loses to a better opponent, as long as he does his best.
"I hope these two players will display a wonderful match for their respective countries and fans," added Tat Meng.
