BWF Malaysia Masters 2024: Viktor Axelsen overcomes tenacious Lee Zii Jia for men's singles title
World number Viktor Axelsen gave his Olympic title defence a confidence boost, winning his first World Tour title of the year at the 2024 BWF Badminton Malaysia Masters in Kuala Lumpur on Sunday (26 May).
Denmark's Axelsen won his first final of the season, beat form shuttler Lee Zii Jia, 21-6, 20-22, 21-13 for the men's singles crown.
Unforced errors by home hope Lee gave Axelsen a foothold in the opening game, with the Dane taking a six-point lead (7-1) early on in the contest.
Axelsen extended that buffer to eight points, proving enough of an advantage as Lee battled to launch an effective fightback effort.
Lee bounced back, taking control of the second game where he raced to an 11-4 lead at the mid-game break.
But the irrepressible Axelsen fought his way back, pushing the game to the edge to level the scores at 19-19. Lee came out on top in the tit-for-tat battle for a chance at upsetting the reigning Olympic champion.
Axelsen started the third game with a bang winning five unanswered points on the trot before Lee clawed his way back to get within a point (7-6). Lee tenaciously stayed in striking distance before Axelsen opened the gap to win the game and claim the title.
In the women’s final, Wang Zhi Yi of the People’s Republic of China triumphed over two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu of India with a 21-16, 5-21, 16-21 victory. The second-seeded Wang spoiled Sindhu’s first final appearance since April 2023 at the Spain Masters.
