The 42nd-ranked Malaysian singles shuttler was beaten by Japan’s world No 7 Kodai Naraoka in three games.
After losing tamely in the first game, the world No 42 came back strongly to take the second game but 7th-ranked Kodai eventually won 21-11, 13-21, 21-14 in 63 minutes in the World Tour Super 500 event at the Saarlandhalle indoor arena in Saarbrücken.
This is Zii Jia’s fourth loss to Kodai in their seven encounters so far. They last met in the Australia Open final in 2024 where the Malaysian player prevailed in three games.
Zii Jia’s best performance since his comeback in January after a long layoff due to an injury last year was at the Arctic Open earlier this month where he reached the semi-final.
He also made the Canada Open semi-final in June. However, the Olympic bronze medallist was eliminated in the early rounds in all other tournaments he has played this year.
Mixed doubles pair Hoo Pang Ron-Lai Pei Jing, on the other hand, continued their fine run by beating Taiwan’s world No 10 pair Yang Po Hsuan-Hu Ling Fang to book a quarter-final spot.
The world No. 24 duo, who have been playing well since pairing in May, won 21-9, 21-16 in just 25 minutes.
Pang Ron-Pei Jing will face Hong Kong’s Chan Yin Chak-Ng Tsz Yau, who are the tournament’s seventh seeds, tomorrow.
The Malaysian independent pair were runners-up at the Super 750 French Open last week and the China Open in September. - FMT
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