Vantaa: Malaysia’s World No. 4 Lee Zii Jia, is on track to defend his title after securing a spot in the Arctic Open quarterfinals in Vantaa, Finland on Thursday.
Lee lived up to expectations, overcoming Japan’s Yushi Tanaka 21-11, 21-18 in the second-round match at Vantaan Energia Areena.
Highlights of Lee Zii Jia vs. Yushi Tanaka in the second round of the 2024 Arctic Open:
After an easy win in the first set, Lee faced a tough challenge from Tanaka in the second set, as the Japanese player tried to force a decider. However, Lee Zii Jia remained calm under pressure and advanced to the last eight.
The 2024 Paris Olympic bronze medalist will face Japan’s Koki Watanabe for a place in the semifinals.
Notably, Lee Zii Jia lost to Watanabe in the China Open last month.
Last year, Lee Zii Jia claimed his maiden Arctic Open title after defeating fellow Malaysian Ng Tze Yong in the final.
Meanwhile, Malaysia’s mixed doubles pair, Hoo Pang Ron and Cheng Su Yin, pulled off an upset by defeating sixth seeds from Taiwan, Yang Po Hsuan and Hu Ling Fang, 21-19, 21-12 to reach the quarterfinals.
Hoo/Cheng will face their fellow Malaysians Goh Soon Huat-Shevon Lai Jemie Lai in the quarterfinals.
In the men’s doubles, reigning China Open champions, Goh Sze Fei and Nur Izzuddin, alongside Man Wei Chong and Tee Kai Wun, advanced to the quarterfinals, while Paris Olympic bronze medalists Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik were knocked out in the round of 16.
The world number eight pair Goh Sze Fei and Nur Izzuddin cruised to victory, defeating Japan’s Kenya Mitsuhashi and Hiroki Okamura 21-16, 21-16 to progress to the last eight.
This marks the second time the two sides have faced each other, with Goh Sze Fei and Nur Izzuddin also winning in straight sets in their previous encounter during the Asian Team Championships in February. The victory extended their head-to-head lead to 2-0.
In the quarterfinals, Goh Sze Fei and Nur Izzuddin will face Indonesia’s Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Rian Ardianto, who defeated Denmark’s Jesper Toft and Mathias Christiansen 21-13, 21-8.
Additionally, Malaysia’s Man Wei Chong and Tee Kai Wun, ranked 13th in the world, beat the unranked Scottish pair Alexander Dunn and Adam Hall 21-10, 21-15. They will next face China’s Liang Weikeng and Wang Chang in the quarterfinals.
However, the Paris Olympic bronze medal pair, Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik, fell to England’s Ben Lane and Sean Vendy. The third-seeded Malaysian duo lost 13-21, 8-21.
