PETALING JAYA: An early round exit is always difficult to take but shuttler Lee Zii Jia can at least draw some positives from the fact that he was still able to put up a fight despite not being fully fit.
Zii Jia’s run at the Hylo Open ended in the second round yesterday after he went down 11-21, 21-13, 14-21 to Japan’s Kodai Naraoka in a 63-minute battle at the Saarlandhalle in Saarbrucken.
It was a match that tested not only his physical condition but also his mental strength, having been struck by a viral infection just 72 hours earlier that left him with fever and vomiting.
He had even been advised by his doctor to withdraw from the tournament, but chose to carry on and beat Singapore’s Jason Teh in the first round on Wednesday.
Despite the defeat, Zii Jia was pleased that he managed to push Naraoka to a deciding game, especially against an opponent of the Japanese shuttler’s calibre.
Naraoka is ranked No. 9 in the world and also won the silver medal at the World Championships in India in August.
“It’s always been a tough game when we play against Kodai (Naraoka),” said Zii Jia in a post-match interview with Badminton Europe.
“I’ve played against him many times and definitely I think he played a very good game today.
“Still, I think that there are a lot of positive things that I can bring into the next tournament as well. So hopefully I can recover soon and get back for the next one.”
The defeat also denied Zii Jia the chance to use the tournament as a yardstick to gauge whether he had truly returned to his best after an encouraging run to the semi-finals of the Arctic Open in Finland two weeks ago.
There was some cheer for the Malaysian camp, however, as mixed doubles pair Hoo Unseeded Pang Ron-Lai Pei Jing continued their good momentum by upsetting fourth seeds Yang Po-hsuan-Hu Ling-fang of Taiwan 21-9, 21-16 to enter the quarter-finals.
Pang Ron-Pei Jing, who moved seven rungs to the 24th spot in the world after reaching the French Open final on Saturday, will face Hong Kong’s seventh seeds Chan Yin Chak-Ng Tsz Yau for a place in the semi-finals.
Second round
(Malaysians only)
Men’s singles: Kodai Naraoka (Jpn) bt Lee Zii Jia 21-11, 13-21, 21-14.
Mixed doubles: Hoo Pang Ron-Lai Pei Jing bt Yang Po-hsuan-Hu Ling-fang (Tpe) 21-9, 21-16.
First round
Men’s singles: Kiran George (Ind) bt Cheam June Wei 21-18, 21-17.
