Moving on: Ng Tze Yong (left) will play Anders Antonsen of Denmark in the second round while Lee Zii Jia faces Brian Yang of Canada. — Badminton Photo
PETALING JAYA: Ng Tze Yong will have a harder job than Lee Zii Jia to make it an all-Malaysia affair in the men’s singles third round.
On Monday, Tze Yong and Zii Jia got off to blistering starts by pulling off straight-game victories against their respective opponents to reach the second round of the World Championships at the Royal Arena in Copenhagen.
The 23-year-old Tze Yong was involved in a tight game that saw him winning by a whisker against Zhao Junpeng of China 21-19, 26-24 while unseeded Zii Jia stepped on the gas to oust fifth seed Jonatan Christie of Indonesia 21-13, 21-15.
Tze Yong faces homester Anders Antonsen while Zii Jia meets Brian Yang of Canada.
If both Malaysians win, they will face each other for a place in the quarter-finals.
Zii Jia last reached the quarter-finals at the world edition in Huelva, Spain but had to withdraw in the rubber game against Antonsen due to a huge blister on his foot.
The 2021 bronze medallist Antonsen is seen as the favourite against Tze Yong as he has the home ground advantage and is also back in form after struggling with injury for a year.
“Anders is the favourite but I hope to give him a good fight,” said Tze Yong, who has yet to play against the Dane in a tournament.
While the odds are stacked against Tze Yong, the 24-year-old Zii Jia will go into the match against Yang with loads of confidence after beating Jonatan. On paper, the former world No. 2 has beaten Yang in the last three outings.
Zii Jia knows the folly of being overconfident and thus, is being cautious of his second round.
“I feel more motivated after the first round win but I’m still in a process,” said Zii Jia.
“I’ve to go through this difficult phase in my career but I’m determined to go back to the top in the world, where I was before.
Due to several first round defeats, Zii Jia has spiralled down from No. 2 to 11th in the world.
A good showing in the world meet will surely put him back in the top 10 and back on the right trail for a place in the Paris Olympic Games.
“I just have to be patient but ready when I face my next opponent,” added Zii Jia, who is still dreaming of becoming the first Malaysian men’s singles world champion.
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