Lee Zii Jia To Play Lu Guangzu In Thailand Open Quarters

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Lee Zii Jia advances to the 2024 Thailand Open quarterfinals. (Photo: Shi Tang/Getty Images)
Lee Zii Jia advances to the 2024 Thailand Open quarterfinals. (Photo: Shi Tang/Getty Images)

Bangkok: Lee Zii Jia will compete against China’s Lu Guangzu on Friday for a spot in the 2024 Thailand Open semi-finals. Lu Guangzu, after a tough three-game battle, eliminated Japan’s Koki Watanabe with a score of 21-11, 18-21, 21-19 on Thursday.

Ranked 43rd in the world, Jeon Hyeok Jin previously faced off against Lee Zii Jia twice in BWF World Tour events but lost both matches. However, at the Hangzhou Asian Games men’s team event in September last year, Jeon Hyeok Jin stunned Lee Zii Jia with a score of 21-14, 14-21, 21-18.

Highlights of Lee Zii Jia vs. Jeon Hyeok Jin in the 2024 Thailand Open second round:

On Thursday, Lee took an early lead in the first game but was caught up by Jeon, with the score tied at 11-ll. The match remained tight until Lee surged ahead with a 3-0 attack to win 20-17. However, Jeon responded with a 3-0 attack to level the score. In the extended play, Lee seized two consecutive points to win the first game 22-20.

In the second game, after 5-3, Lee dominated with a 10-1 wave of attacks, ultimately winning 21-7. The match lasted 36 minutes.

Another men’s singles second-round match saw Malaysia’s Leong Jun Hao fought hard in three games but narrowly lost 22-20, 14-21, 21-23 to Thailand’s world champion and 4th seed Kunlavut Vitidsarn, exiting in the round of 16 with a 92-minute battle.

In men’s doubles, Wan Arif Wan Junaidi/Yap Roy King, have the opportunity to showcase their true potential as they face the third-ranked Indian pair, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy/Chirag Shetty, in the quarterfinals of the Thailand Open on Friday.

Wan Arif/Yap Roy King, ranked 64th in the world, advanced to the quarterfinals with a victory over Denmark’s Daniel Lundgaard/Mads Vestergaard 21-14, 21-13 in the second round.

Rankireddy-Shetty, also the champions of the Hangzhou 2022 Asian Games, progressed after defeating China’s Xie Hao Nan/Zeng Wei Han 21-16, 21-11.

This will be the first meeting between Wan Arif/Yap Roy King and Rankireddy/Shetty, providing an opportunity for the Malaysian pair to test their abilities against top world contenders like Rankireddy/Shetty, who are among the main challengers for the gold medal at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

Meanwhile, another young Malaysian men’s doubles team, Muhammad Haikal Nazri/Choong Hon Jian, also secured their spot in the quarterfinals after defeating the Thai pair, Pharanyu Kaosamaang/Worrapol Thongsa, 21-17, 21-10.

The 28th-ranked pair will face Taiwan’s Lu Ming Che/Tang Kai Wei for a spot in the semi-finals.

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