HANGZHOU: National top men’s singles shuttler Lee Zii Jia’s chase for his maiden Asian Games medal remains elusive as he was eliminated in the quarter-finals today.
The world number 16, went down against HS Prannoy of India 16-21, 23-21, 20-22 at the Binjiang Gymnasium here, today.
Zii Jia advanced to the quarter-finals after beating Thailand’s reigning world champion Kunlavut Vitidsarn 10-21, 21-19, 21-6 in the third round yesterday, while Prannoy ousted Dmitriy Panarin of Kazakhstan 21-12, 21-13.
In the semi-finals, Prannoy set to face the winner between Anthony Sinisuka Ginting of Indonesia and home favourite Li Shi Feng, who was part of China’s men’s team event gold medalist.
It was another Asiad heartbreak for the 25-year-old Zii Jia, after having been eliminated in the round of 16 2018 Jakarta-Palembang Asian Games.
Speaking to reporters after the match, dejected Zii Jia said he is very worried about his results and performances recently, and hopes to rebound quickly to continue his quest for Paris 2024 Olympic qualifications.
“For Malaysians and fans as well, it’s not that I don’t want good results, but sometimes this is the process we need to accept. I don’t know how long it will take, but I need to learn from every tournament and this is the experience.
“If the fans are sad, I am even sadder because I am the one playing in the court and had given so much in the match. I’m not a young boy with a lack of discipline, and neither have I skipped training. I trained hard every day, giving my 100 per cent.
“Sometimes we performed well but the result is not in our favour. I am still far from being a stable and mature player, I need to admit this,” said Zii Jia, who is next expected to play in the Arctic Open in Vantaa, Finland from Oct 10-15.
Meanwhile, mixed doubles pair Chen Tang Jie-Toh Ee Wei fought hard before ending their journey in the quarter-finals, after being knocked out by Asian Games champion and Tokyo 2020 Olympics silver medalist Zheng Si Wei-Huang Ya Qiong of China 14-21, 21-23, today. – BERNAMA
