KUALA LUMPUR, March 14 — National men’s singles ace Lee Zii Jia produced a dazzling performance to sweep aside 2021 World Champion Loh Kean Yew from Singapore 21-15, 21-12 in straight sets in the second round of the All England Badminton Championships today.
In the high-intensity clash at the Utilita Arena in Birmingham, Lee, the world number 10, displayed flawless badminton skills to wrap up the match in 33 minutes and move into the quarterfinals.
The win was the fourth in a row for Lee over the 11th-ranked Loh from their six meetings.
Lee, the 2021 men’s singles All England champion, will face either Lakshya Sen from India or world number four Anders Antonsen from Denmark in the quarterfinal.
Yesterday, he pulled off a pleasant surprise in the first-round match by defeating Kodai Naraoka from Japan, the world number six, 21-12, 21-19, in straight sets.
In the last edition, Lee, 25, lost in the semifinals to Shi Yuqi of China 19-21, 13-21.
In contrast, the country’s two mixed doubles pairs were shown the exit door early after losing to their respective opponents in the second round.
Tan Kian Meng-Lai Pei Jing lost 17-21, 11-21 to Hong Kong’s Tang Chun Man-Tse Ying Suet, while Chen Tang Jie-Toh Ee Wei bowed out in three sets to Holland’s Robin Tabeling-Selena Piek 21-17, 19-21, 16-21 in a match that lasted 58 minutes.
— Bernama
