Solid start: Lee Zii Jia pulled off an impressive 21-17, 21-16 win over Hong Kong’s world No. 21 Angus Ng Ka Long in the first round of the Indonesian Open at the Istora Senayan in Jakarta.
PETALING JAYA: Men’s singles shuttler Lee Zii Jia is relishing the challenge of taking on the top players in the world one last time in the Indonesian Open before the Paris Olympics next month.
The World Tour Super 1000 event is the final tournament before the Olympics where all the top 10 players in the world are competing except for Denmark’s world No. 1 and reigning Olympic champion Viktor Axelsen, who has pulled out due to fitness concerns.
Yesterday, Zii Jia pulled off an impressive 21-17, 21-16 win over Hong Kong’s world No. 21 Angus Ng Ka Long in the first round at the Istora Senayan in Jakarta. It was the former’s sixth win in 10 meetings over Angus and fourth victory this year.
“This competition is a good test for me ahead of the Olympics,” said Zii Jia in a post-match interview with the Badminton World Federation (BWF).
“All the top players are here and every round is going to be tough. This is a chance for me to see if I can be stable in my game.
“Honestly, my physical condition is not the best. I will say my fitness is at 70 to 80 per cent. But all the players are in the same boat.”
The 26-year-old had to skip last week’s Singapore Open after suffering cramps and hamstring injuries following his efforts in capturing the Thailand Open and finishing runner-up in the Malaysian Masters.
Zii Jia, who has moved up to No. 7 in the world ranking, plays China’s world No. 19 Weng Hongyang for a place in the last eight tomorrow.
Meanwhile, another Malaysian representative Leong Jun Hao, who moved up from No. 36 to No. 32 in the rankings, will go up against home favourite and world No. 3 Jonatan Christie in his opening match today.
Jun Hao will be making his debut in a Super 1000 competition after he was promoted from the reserves list following several withdrawals.
In the women’s singles, world No. 33 Goh Jin Wei suffered an early exit after going down 15-21, 17-21 to China’s world No. 6 and Malaysian Masters champion Wang Zhiyi.
