Sydney: Lee Zii Jia received a confident boost ahead of the Paris 2024 Olympics by winning the 2024 Australian Open on Sunday.
The World No. 8 Lee Zii Jia successfully defeated Japan’s World No. 6 Kodai Naraoka, 21-19, 11-21, 21-18, to claim his second title of the season after winning the Thailand Open in mid-May.
Highlights of Lee Zii Jia vs. Kodai Naraoka in the 2024 Australian Open final:
In the final match held in Sydney, both players showcased intense fighting spirits, but Lee Zii Jia managed to outplay his opponent to win the first set 21-19.
Stunned by the first-game loss, Naraoka bounced back with a different strategy, dominating the second set and winning 21-11 to force the match into a deciding set.
At the beginning of the deciding set, Lee Zii Jia seemed to lose focus, trailing 0-5, but the 26-year-old player rallied to equalize and then take the lead before clinching the victory with a 21-18 result.
This win marks Lee Zii Jia’s second consecutive victory over Naraoka in their six encounters, bringing their head-to-head record to an even 3-3.
With this title, Lee Zii Jia takes home a cash prize of USD 31,500 (RM 148,069), while Naraoka receives USD 15,960 (RM 75,022) as the runner-up in this Super 500 tournament.
The Paris Olympics are scheduled to take place from July 27 to August 5 at Porte de la Chapelle Arena, with Lee Zii Jia being one of the prospects to win Malaysia’s first gold medal at the world’s largest sporting event.
Meanwhile, the hope of seeing the pair of Lai Pei Jing/Lim Chiew Sien secure Malaysia’s first women’s doubles title at the Australian Open was dashed when they lost in the final.
However, Lai/Lim can be proud of their runner-up achievement, taking home USD 15,960 (RM 75,022) after losing to the Indonesian pair Febriana Dwipuji Kusuma and Amalia Cahaya Pratiwi 21-17, 7-21, 13-21.
For other events, Jiang Zhen Bang/Wei Ya Xin of China, Aya Ohori of Japan, and He Ji Ting/Ren Xiang Yu emerged as winners in the mixed doubles, women’s singles, and men’s doubles categories respectively.