KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 4 — Men's singles shuttler Lee Zii Jia is the only Malaysian standing in the 2023 Australia Open, making it into the semi-finals.
In the quarter-final clash at the Quaycentre arena in Sydney today, he was forced to sweat for 83 minutes before successfully seeing off compatriot Ng Tze Yong.
The Kedah-born athlete lost the first set 17 - 21, before returning to win the match 26 - 24, 21 - 19.
The world number 17 is set to take on Weng Hong Yang of China, who surprised the tournament’s fifth seed — Chou Tien Chen of Taiwan — by winning 21 - 10, 21 - 16 in another quarter-final action.
The win today is a relief to Lee, who bowed out in the first round of the last four tournaments he participated in, namely the Singapore Open, the Indonesia Open, the Korea Open, and the Japan Open.
Meanwhile, national men's doubles pair Aaron Chia - Soh Wooi Yik, who were seeded second in the tournament, failed to make it to the final four after a shock loss to Taiwan’s Lu Ching Yao - Yang Po Han 15 - 21, 17 - 21.
— Bernama
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(from left to right) National badminton athletes and men's doubles players Soh Wooi Yik and Aaron Chia in action during their match against Taiwan’s Lu Ching Yao and Yang Po Han, in the quarter-finals of the Australia Open 2023 at the State Sports Centre in Sydney, Australia, on August 4, 2023. — Picture by FACEBOOK/BADMINTON ASSOCIATION OF MALAYSIA - BAM[/caption]
