The mental edge: Japan’s Koki Watanabe last beat Lee Zii Jia at the China Open where he sent the Malaysian packing in the opening round last month. — AFP
PETALING JAYA: Professional men’s singles shuttler Lee Zii Jia knows he has to be sharp as a razor when he takes on Koki Watanabe in the Arctic Open quarter-finals today.
Yesterday, Zii Jia defeated a lowly ranked Japanese Yushi Tanaka 21-11, 21-18 in 42 minutes at the Energia Arena in Vantaa, Finland. He struggled in the second game but fortunately, stayed focused to win against the world No. 30 player.
