PETALING JAYA: National men's singles shuttler Lee Zii Jia served up a huge stunner when he knocked out reigning Olympic champion Chen Long of China in the second round of the Indonesian Open on Thursday (July 18).
The 21-year-old was in his element as he defeated fifth seeded Chen Long 21-16, 19-21, 22-20 in a thrilling match that lasted nearly 90 minutes.
Zii Jia will remember the win for many years to come, as it was his first match against the two-time world champion.
Having had three match points in the final game, Chen Long skilfully fought his way back to tie the score at 20-20, but the youngster kept his calm and composure to troop out as the winner in superb style.
World No. 16 Zii Jia will go up against world No. 11 Anders Antonsen of Denmark in the quarter-finals on Friday (July 19).
Besides Chen Long, China's top stars Lin Dan and Shi Yuqi also crashed out in the second round. Lin Dan lost 22-24, 21-17, 13-21 to Taiwan's Chen Chou-tien while Shi Yuqi retired after trailing 6-7 against Antonsen.
