Sydney: The World No. 8 men’s singles player Lee Zii Jia of Malaysia defeated compatriot Soong Joo Ven 21-18, 21-14 in the 2024 Australian Open second round to advance to the quarterfinals.
Lee Zii Jia had faced World No. 78 Soong Joo Ven twice before and won both matches, the last encounter between them was in 2019.
Highlights of Lee Zii Jia vs. Soong Joo Ven in the 2024 Australian Open second round:
Competing in their first meeting in five years, Soong Joo Ven managed to challenge Lee Zii Jia in the first half of the opening game, even leading 15-13 at one point. However, Lee Zii Jia turned the tide with a 5-0 run and won the first game 21-18.
In the second game, Lee Zii Jia maintained control of the match. After a 5-5 tie, he surged ahead and ultimately won the game 21-14.
Lee Zii Jia has shown stable performance since the Thomas Cup in Chengdu in May, winning one title at the Thailand Open and losing to Viktor Axelsen to finish as runner-up in the Malaysia Masters. Although he missed the Singapore Open due to injury, he reached the quarterfinals of the Indonesia Open. The Australian Open is the last BWF World Tour Super 500 or higher tournament before the Paris Olympics. After advancing to the Australian Open quarterfinals, Lee Zii Jia is now just two steps away from reaching his third final in a month and a half.
Lee Zii Jia will face Japan’s Kenta Nishimoto in the quarterfinals tomorrow, who defeated India’s Kiran George 22-20, 21-6.
In other matches, World No. 13 Chou Tien Chen won an all-Taiwan battle against Chi Yu Jen 12-21, 21-14, 21-15 and will face compatriot Lee Chia Hao next. Lee Chia Hao defeated Indonesia’s Chico Aura Dwi Wardoyo 21-19, 21-11.
In the men’s doubles competition, three Malaysian pairs — Kang Khai Xing/Aaron Tai, Choong Hon Jian/Muhammad Haikal, and Junaidi Arif/Yap Roy King — all advanced to the quarterfinals.
Kang Khai Xing/Aaron Tai easily defeated Australia’s Kanki Igawa/Ken Richardson 21-14, 21-8. They will face China’s top seeds He Jiting and Zhou Haodong in the quarterfinals.
Third seeds Choong Hon Jian/Muhammad Haikal also comfortably beat home team representatives Aneesh Nirmal/Emmanuel Stephen Sam 21-12, 21-8 and will meet another home team pair, Rizky Hidayat/Frengky Wijaya Putra, in the quarterfinals.
In the bottom half, fourth seeds Junaidi Arif/Yap Roy King defeated the Australia-England pair Ooi Yi Hern/Steven Stallwood 21-10, 21-9 and will face Taiwan’s Chen Zhi Ray/Lin Yu Chieh for a semifinal spot.
