Step by step: Lee Zii Jia is joined by Justin Hoh in the second round today.
PETALING JAYA: Professional men’s singles shuttler Lee Zii Jia knows he cannot afford to take India’s Mithun Manjunath lightly if he hopes to advance to the quarter-finals of the Thailand Masters.
The two players are set to clash in the second round today at the Nimibutr Stadium in Bangkok after Mithun pulled off a surprise by eliminating eighth seed Magnus Johannesen of Denmark 21-12, 9-21, 21-17 in the first round yesterday.
Although the head-to-head record favours Zii Jia, who has won three of their four previous meetings, the Kedah-born shuttler is aware that he is not at his best yet as he continues to rediscover his rhythm on court.
Their last encounter two years ago in Sydney also saw Zii Jia pushed hard before he edged Mithun 21-13, 12-21, 21-19 in the second round.
Adding to the concern, Zii Jia admitted that his performance in the first round yesterday was still far from convincing despite securing a straight-game victory over Belgium’s Julien Carragi 21-19, 21-11.
“I’m happy to win my first match at the Thailand Super 300. There are still some things I need to fix, especially in the first game. I was leading 4–1, but then my opponent came back to lead 10–4.
“I made some big unforced errors. I need to look back at them and try to fix those mistakes.
“I won in a rubber set (against Mithun), so he was definitely a tough opponent for me, especially considering my current condition and situation. I need to stay more focused moving forward,” said Zii Jia in a post match interview with SNE Sports.
Joining Zii Jia in the second round today is Justin Hoh, who will face China’s Zhu Xuanchen.
Justin advanced after defeating Taiwan’s Su Li-yang 21-17, 21-19 in the first round yesterday.
Three women’s singles representatives also continued their encouraging run, with K. Letshanaa, Wong Ling Ching and professional shuttler Goh Jin Wei all eyeing places in the quarter-finals.
Letshanaa overcame American Ishika Jaiswal 21-10, 21-16 and will take on India’s Shriyanshi Valishetty today.
Compatriot Ling Ching pulled off a surprise by eliminating Indonesia’s Komang Ayu 21-16, 27-29, 21-18 yesterday and will next face seventh seed Julie Jakobsen of Denmark.
Meanwhile, Jin Wei was made to work hard before edging Taiwan’s Huang Ching Ping 21-18, 21-23, 21-11 and will now meet sixth seed Han Qianxi of China.
