BWF World Championships 2023: Lee Zii Jia into round of 16
The Malaysian badminton ace is hoping to go all the way after reaching the quarter-finals at the BWF World Championships in 2019.
Badminton
Malaysia badminton sensation Lee Zii Jia marched into the round of 16 beating Canada's Brian Yang 21-11, 21-16 at the BWF World Championships 2023 in Copenhagen on Wednesday 23 August.
The star shuttler seems to have brushed off an early-season slump winning his first two rounds at the tournament. The 25-year-old is unseeded at the championship after a disappointing start to his season made up of four consecutive first-round eliminations on the BWF World Tour while he also failed to reach a final this year.
There was no sign of the self-doubt that has plagued him this season on Wednesday (23 August) with Lee winning the second round in straight games. He opened a five-point gap (7-2) early on in the contest and kept his foot on the gas to extend his advantage to nine points. Wang launched a mini comeback reducing Lee’s lead to five (16-11). Lee then enjoyed a run of five unanswered points to take the first game.
The second game was a tighter affair with the two players exchanging blows in a tit-for-tat battle before Lee took control going 11-6 up. Yang fought back from a 19-10 deficit to get within five points. His resistance only delayed the inevitable with Lee winning the game 21-16 to seal the victory after 33 minutes.
The Malaysian will next face Denmark's Anders Antonsen who ousted Lee's compatriot Ng Tze Yong 24-22, 21-16.
Lee burst onto the scene at his debut World Championships in 2019 reaching the quarter-finals before losing to two-time champion Momota Kento of Japan.
Meanwhile, the fourth-seeded Naraoka Kodai of Japan made short shrift of Frenchman Toma Junior Popov to win his second match of the tournament 21-12, 21-16.
In the women’s tournament, reigning two-time world champion Yamaguchi Akane of Japan also got her tournament off to a winning start with a 21-7, 21-11 win over Turkey’s Neslihan Arin.
Spanish badminton ace Carolina Marín kicked off her campaign for a fourth world title on a high note beating Iris Wang of the United States 21-13, 21-13.
The 2023 BWF World Championships in Copenhagen can be followed live on Olympic Channel via Olympics.com (territorial restrictions may apply). The tournament concludes on Sunday 27 August.