Top singles Zii Jia must bounce back strongly after painful lesson

Lee Zii Jia of Malaysia returns a shot to Viktor Axelsen of Denmark during the mens singles quarterfinals of the Malaysia Masters badminton tournament in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Friday, Jan. 18, 2019. (AP Photo/Yam G-Jun)

PETALING JAYA: National No. 1 men’s singles shuttler Lee Zii Jia (pic) learnt a harsh lesson after a shock second-round defeat in the National Championships at the Perak Bad­minton Arena in Ipoh yesterday.

The world No. 27, touted to be Lee Chong Wei’s successor, has beaten several world-class players in recent times but yesterday he was made to eat humble pie when he crashed 19-21, 14-21 to an unseeded Datu Mohd Shah Eizlan Sardik of Sabah in the premier local tournament.