Zii Jia beats Chinese shuttler in Arctic Open 1st round

The world No 56 player defeats the much younger 40th ranked Dong Tian Yao in straight games.

Lee Zii Jia, ranked world No 56, beat China’s world No 40 shuttler Dong Tian Yao 21-18, 21-14. (Bernama pic)

PETALING JAYA:

Men’s singles shuttler Lee Zii Jia’s comeback bid received a boost at the Arctic Open when he defeated a much younger and higher-ranked Chinese player in straight games in the opening round.

Zii Jia, 28, who had little trouble clearing the qualifying round yesterday, defeated China’s 40th ranked Dong Tian Yao 21-18, 21-14 in 42 minutes at the Energia Areena in Vantaa, Finland.

The victory over the 23-year-old Chinese at the World Tour Super 500 event is a major boost as the former world No 2 shuttler has faced a long and difficult journey following a lengthy injury layoff.

His best performance this season was at the World Tour Super 300 Canada Open where he managed to enter the semi-finals.

In the last-16 match tomorrow, he will take on Taiwan’s Su Li Yang. - FMT