PETALING JAYA: The Perodua Malaysian Masters ended without any home winners for the third straight year. But it was not entirely a letdown as Lee Zii Jia is beginning to show that he’s on his way to becoming a world-class player after a giant-killing run that saw him reach the semi-finals. Here are five talking points of the tournament.
ZII JIA IS COMING OF AGE
Beating higher-ranked players is becoming something that Zii Jia is getting accustomed to. The 21-year-old added world No. 4 Anders Antonsen of Denmark and No. 8 Shi Yuqi of China to his list of “victims” that already includes the likes of other world top 10 stars Chou Tien-chen, Chen Long and Viktor Axelsen. This shows how far Zii Jia has progressed ever since he took over the baton from Lee Chong Wei. Expect more from him this year.
