PETALING JAYA: After a 10-month wait, professional men’s singles shuttler Lee Zii Jia booked his first quarter final spot in 10 months after defeating India’s Mithun Manjunath in the second round of the Thailand Masters on Thursday (Jan 29).
Before stepping onto the court, Zii Jia admitted he was wary of the world No. 60, who had earlier knocked out eighth seed Magnus Johannesen in the opening round.
His concerns proved justified as Mithun gave him no easy passage, dominating the opening game. However, the Kedah born player mounted a strong comeback to force the match into a decider before sealing an 11-21, 21-16, 21-12 win in 52 minutes.
The last time Zii Jia reached the quarter finals was at the Orleans Masters in March last year.
Awaiting him in Friday’s (Jan 30) quarter-final is last week’s Indonesian Masters champion Alwi Farhan.
