Long time coming: Lee Zii Jia last played Viktor Axelsen at the 2022 Indonesian Open.
CHENGDU: It has been almost two years since Lee Zii Jia faced Viktor Axelsen in a full match and he can’t wait to take on one of his biggest rivals in the Thomas Cup Finals.
Both will clash when Malaysia take on Denmark in the final Group tie tomorrow at the Hi-Tech Sports Center in Chengdu, China to decide on who will top the group.
Yesterday, Zii Jia and Co outplayed minnows Algeria 5-0 despite fielding a weakened team. The others who won the points were Cheam June Wei, Justin Hoh and Choong Hon Jian-Mohd Haikal Nazri and scratch pair Nur Izzuddin Rumsani-Soh Wooi Yik.
Zii Jia is rubbing his hands together on the prospect of facing the lanky Dane.
“I last played a full match against Axelsen two years ago (in the 2022 Indonesian Open semi-finals) and I’m looking forward to meeting him again,” said Zii Jia, who lost that duel.
“The last time we met was at the Sudirman Cup last year but he had to retire through injury.
“I think everyone is waiting for this match and I hope both of us can play a good game.”
The Dane holds the advantage based on their head-to-head records, having won five of their last eight encounters.
Their matches though have always been closely fought and another thrilling tie could be on the cards.
Zii Jia memorably captured the All-England crown in 2021 after coming out on top over the 30-year-old Axelsen 30-29, 20-22, 21-9 in the final.
It was his biggest career title victory and one of his best performances so far.
A win will give either player’s team a huge boost and could make a difference to the outcome of the match.
Axelsen will enter the match as the favourite but the Kedahan has the capability to pull off a big upset and give Malaysia the crucial first point.
If Zii Jia wins, then it will be up to the doubles players – Aaron Wooi Yik-Soh Wooi Yik and Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin Rumsani to seal the deal.
Both pairs are expected to play world No. 4 Kim Astrup-Anders Skaarup Rasmussen and Rasmus Kjaer-Frederik Soggard.
On paper, it will be tougher for Malaysia to steal the points in the other two singles.
World No. 4 Anders Antonsen is more superior than Leong Jun Hao at the second singles while Cheam June Wei or Justin Hoh may find Rasmus Gemke or Magnus Johannesen a tough nut to crack too in the deciding match.
