Zii Jia powers past Popov to enter semis at Arctic Open

 The Malaysian singles shuttler, playing with an injured right thumb, defeated the world No 2 Frenchman in straight games in the last eight.

Lee Zii Jia beat European champion Christo Popov 21-11, 21-16 at the World Tour Super 500 championships. (EPA Images pic)

PETALING JAYA:

National men’s singles shuttler Lee Zii Jia displayed glimpses of his past brilliance to stun world No 2 and European champion Christo Popov to book a semi-final berth at the World Tour Super 500 Arctic Open.

Lee, ranked world No 56, played with much power and precision to overcome his more fancied rival from France 21-11, 21-16 in a match that lasted 38 minutes at the Energia Areena in Vantaa, Finland.

Zii Jia persevered after seeking treatment for a cut on his right thumb during the second game.

He will take on either China’s world No 36 Hu Zhe An or 6th ranked Anders Antonsen of Denmark.

The 28-year-old Zii Jia gave Malaysian fans a scare when he had to seek treatment for the cut on his right thumb midway in the second game but still went ahead to win convincingly. This was Zii Jia’s third victory over Popov, following wins against him in 2022 and 2024.

Today’s victory is the best performance this season for the Malaysian professional, a former world No 2 player and All England champion, following his semi-final appearance at the lower-ranked Super 300 Canada Open in July.

Zii Jia had been struggling since his comeback in January after a lengthy layoff last year due to an injury. He has been pushing himself despite having been knocked out in the first round in seven tournaments and in a qualifying round once.

The Arctic Open offers a prize money of US$37,500 (RM152,500) for the winners in the singles categories while the runners-up will receive US$19,000 (RM77, 277). Semi-finalists will take home US$7,250 (RM29,487). - FMT