Jakarta: After playing the first game and losing 14-21, Lee Zii Jia chose to withdraw in the quarterfinals of the 2024 Indonesia Masters.
Lee Zii Jia who ranked 10th in the world, faced Canada’s world no. 24 player, Brian Yang.
In the first game, after a 3-3 tie, Yang took the lead. After entering the technical timeout at 11-8, Yang Can gradually widened the point gap. At 17-14, he then scored a 4-0 run to win the first game 21-14.
This marked their sixth meeting since 2021, during which Lee Zii Jia had consistently secured victory in the previous five encounters against Brian Yang over the past four years. However, in this particular match, Lee Zii Jia had to withdraw due to being unwell.
Lee’s coach Wong Tat Meng confirmed after the match that Lee Zii Jia had experienced diarrhea upon arriving in Indonesia and had to withdraw today due to health issues. Lee Zii Jia’s team also revealed on social media that he suffered from food poisoning.
Unfortunately Lee Zii Jia had to retire mid match as his body conditions deteriorated after a severe case of food poisoning for the past couple of days.
Zii Jia tried his best to perform but was unable to complete the match against Brian Yang.
Thanks for all the wishes.
— Team LZJ (@TeamLZJ) January 26, 2024
In addition, Indonesian star Jonatan Christie won 21-17, 21-19 against Singapore’s reigning world champion Loh Kean Yew of Singapore. Jonatan Christie has maintained a 6-game winning streak against Singaporeans since 2022, improving his record to 6 wins and 2 losses.
In the upper half, China’s 48th-ranked male player Lei Lanxi lost 17-21, 17-21 to Denmark’s 8th-seeded Anders Antonsen. Indian shuttler Kiran George, who eliminated strong opponents to advance to the quarterfinals, lost 14-21, 6-21 to Thailand’s current world champion Kunlavut Vitidsarn.
Following the Indonesia Masters, Lee Zii Jia will now have two weeks to rest, recover, and prepare for the Asia Team Championships in Shah Alam (February 13-18).
