The Star
PETALING JAYA: Independent shuttler Lee Zii Jia has admitted that it is impossible to run away from being compared to Malaysian men's singles legend Datuk Lee Chong Wei.
World No. 10 Zii Jia added that his relationship with Chong Wei had been weird after his 21-17, 21-19 win over Brian Yang of Canada in the first round of the Indian Open in New Delhi on Wednesday (Jan 17).
It was a better start from Zii Jia at the KD Jadhav Indoor Stadium to make up for his disappointment at the Malaysian Open, where he lost in the first round to Lu Guangzu of China.
Zii Jia also opened up on the pressure of being the leading singles player in the badminton-crazy nation and the comparisons with Chong Wei after the win.
"As the Malaysian No.1, I cannot run away from being compared with Chong Wei, and this is something that I have to face my entire career," Zii Jia told the Badminton World Federation (BWF).
"I am becoming more mature in handling this situation year by year, although I am still trying to look for the best solution to this kind of problem.
"To be honest, since I came out (of BAM) as a professional player, the position is kind of weird between him (Chong Wei) and me.
"As you know, there is a lot of news, but I have a good coach and the team to help me, and I just have to believe in what I’m doing."
Zii Jia had also received tough resistance from Yang in the second game, where he saved three match points at 16-20 before the Malaysian sealed victory with a 21-19 win.
"I just told myself to stay focused on the court, and Brian played a very good game today. When it comes to the last few points, it depends on who dares to do something special," added Zii Jia.
"First win of the season, and it's a good start for me because I've been struggling to find a more stable performance for the last few years."
Zii Jia will meet Indonesian Jonatan Christie, who thrashed Angus Ng Ka Long of Hong Kong 21-13, 21-7, in the second round on Wednesday.
The Malaysian had not lost to Jonatan in their last four meetings.
Meanwhile, defending champion Kunlavut Vitidsarn of Thailand defeated Magnus Johannesen of Denmark 21-12, 21-16 to reach the second round.
In the women's singles, Malaysia’s campaign came to an end on Tuesday (Jan 16) when Goh Jin Wei lost 10-21, 14-21 to Supanida Katethong of Thailand in the first round.
