BWF Australian Open 2023: Lee Zii Jia snaps losing run; Loh Kean Yew out in first round
The Malaysian won his first World Tour match in five tournaments in Sydney on Wednesday (2 August 2023) as he finally made it past the first round.
Badminton
The wait is over: Lee Zii Jia has won a badminton match for the first time in nearly three months – a span of five tournaments.
Malaysia's world number 17 secured the victory at the BWF World Tour 2023 Australian Open in Sydney on Wednesday (2 August) against compatriot Leong Jun Hao, who only made the main draw after coming through qualifying.
Lee had lost in the first round at each of his last four competitions, even taking a self-enforced break of a month in the middle to try to reset. However, his comeback has not gone as smoothly as hoped, with first-hurdle exits over the last two weeks at the Korea Open and Japan Open.
Now, the 25-year-old finally has his first win under new coach Wong Tat Meng.
Leong started the brighter of the two men, taking the first game, and Lee looked like the Lee of recent times – lost on court. However, Zii Jia grew in confidence as the match went on, taking the next two games to seal a hard-fought – and long-awaited – 12-21, 21-17, 21-16 win.
He now faces India's Mithun Manjunath in the next round after the Indian shocked fourth seed Loh Kean Yew of Singapore.
Loh and Japan's Naraoka Kodai were the first two seeded casualties in Sydney.
The Singaporean 2021 world champion fell behind early against Mithun Manjunath in both games, and despite mounting some late resistance lost 19-21, 19-21. Meanwhile, second seed Naraoka was defeated by People's Republic of China shuttler Weng Hong Yang 19-21, 11-21.
Top seed Anthony Sinisuka Ginting of Indonesia is through to the second round however after dispatching Hong Kong China's Ng Ka Long Angus 21-18, 18-21, 21-12 in a close three-game contest. Ealier, Ginting's teammate Jonatan Christie, seeded seventh, saw off former world number one Momota Kento of Japan 21-23, 21-14, 21-12.