‘Net gains’ needed for Zii Jia after loss to Naraoka

PETALING JAYA: It’s not only a lack of patience but men’s singles shuttler Lee Zii Jia (pic) also needs to improve his net game to fast-track his progress.

Yesterday, Zii Jia got off to an explosive start but did not have the strong finish to snuff out the fire in Kodai Naraoka of Japan as the Malaysian went down 21-13, 9-21, 16-21 in the quarter-finals of the Indian Open at the K.D. Jadhav Indoor Hall in New Delhi yesterday.

It was his third defeat in four meetings against world No. 6 Naraoka since 2023.

While Zii Jia went all out attacking, Naraoka showed more variety in his game and romped home to a win because of his exceptionally good front court skills.

Zii Jia knows he lost to a better player but took positives from the defeat.

After all, it was a better showing from the Malaysian after suffering a meltdown in the first round of the home tournament last week.

“I tried my best today and I think I played my best game as well, there were a few improvements,” said Zii Jia in a post match interview with the Badminton World Federation (BWF).

“But I just can’t break through Kodai, it’s all about being more patient when you’re playing against him.

“In the third game, I was becoming impatient and that allowed him to extend his lead. Those few points can affect the results of the game and I couldn’t take away crucial points from him,” said Zii Jia.

While Kodai pulled off many winners at the net, Zii Jia could not match his opponent but believes he is moving forward in the right direction.

“I made it to the quarter-finals and it’s only the second tournament of the year,” he said.

“If you compare that with my results last year, it took me until the fifth tournament to make it to the semi-finals, and that was at the All England. This is positive progress that shows I’m on the right path of improvement.”

Meanwhile, professional mixed doubles pair Goh Soon Huat-Shevon Lai Jemie’s campaign also ended when they lost 13-21, 13-21 to China’s Jiang Zhenbang-Wei Yaxin in the last eight.