BWF India Open 2024: Lee Zii Jia eliminated in quarter-finals by Naraoka Kodai comeback
Malaysia's Lee loses in a 78-minute thriller to Japanese opponent and second seed Naraoka Kodai in New Delhi.
Badminton
Lee Zii Jia's run at the 2024 BWF India Open ended on Friday (19 January) after a gruelling three-game loss to Japanese second seed Naraoka Kodai.
Malaysia's badminton number one was seeking a spot in the semi-finals in New Delhi, and Lee's path to the last four had appeared a foregone conclusion in the opening game as he kept Naraoka at arm's length, taking it comfortably 21-13.
But the Malaysian was never really in the second game, with Naraoka rattling off the last eight points in a row to take it 21-9 and level the match.
The decider was a tighter affair, with both men having spells of control, before Naraoka pulled away to open a six-point lead. Lee managed to close that gap to 16-18 before the Japanese sealed the last three points he needed for victory, 13-21, 21-9, 21-16.
Naraoka faces Lee Cheuk Yiu in the semi-finals after the Hong Kong China shuttler stunned fourth seed Anthony Ginting 21-17, 18-21, 21-13.
There was a shock in the women's singles draw as top seed An Se-young, who had been unbeaten so far in 2024 after winning last week's Malaysia Open, retired while behind in her quarter-final.
The world number one from Republic of Korea was trailing Singapore's unseeded Yeo Jia Min 19-21, 0-3 when she made the decision to pull out. An injured her knee at last October's Asian Games, and has worn heavy strapping on it since returning to competition.
Yeo progresses to face Chinese Taipei's fourth seed Tai Tzu-ying in the semi-finals after Tai comfortably beat He Bingjiao 21-6, 21-11 in their quarter-final match.