BATC: Zii Jia storms past world champ Kean Yew for first point

SHAH ALAM: National top men's singles shuttler Lee Zii Jia rose to the occasion to outclass reigning world champion Loh Kean Yew and give Malaysia a head start in the Badminton Asia Team Championships (BATC) 2022 against Singapore today.

The 23-year-old Zii Jia was in fiery form as he took revenge on his childhood nemesis, easily winning the first singles tie 21-6, 21-14 in just 30 minutes, with strong support from some 200 home fans, in their opening Group B fixture at the Setia City Convention Centre here.

The win over the world number 12 is just the tonic needed to boost Zii Jia's confidence, especially after he had had to deal with inconsistent performances throughout last year that eventually led to his controversial exit from the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) earlier this year.

"I tried to be focused, calmer and not be emotional like last year. I think all Malaysians were waiting for today's game and I am very happy to have won.

"My target this year is to be more stable in my performance. This game may be one of the ways to control my emotion... I'll try different ways to do it," he told reporters after the match.

With today's victory, Zii Jia has now won three out of five clashes against the Penang-born Kean Yew, who was his childhood rival.

Zii Jia defeated Kean Yew at the 2016 Smiling Fish International Challenge and the 2019 Fuzhou China Open while his 24-year-old rival triumphed at the 2021 French Open and the 2021 Hylo Open final in Germany, where the Malaysian was forced to withdraw due to injury.

Asked about tomorrow's match against minnows Kazakhstan, the Alor Setar-born said it would be up to the coaches to decide whether to field him or give the youngsters a chance, before adding that he is always prepared to play for the country.

Meanwhile, Kean Yew, who is playing in only his second tournament after triumphing at the World Championships in Huelva, Spain last December, admitted that he was not at his best today.

"I think Zii Jia played very well... I think every tournament will be different, he performed very well today," he said, adding that he hoped his teammates would step up to the plate and help take Singapore into the semi-finals.

Asked if the five-day quarantine upon arrival in Malaysia affected his performance, Kean Yew said: "Definitely, it's a different experience, a first experience. I was looking forward (to seeing) how I will perform after quarantine... I can learn from this."

Kean Yew, who admitted that he didn't expect to win the World Championship crown, said his long-term goal is to win the Olympic gold.

-- BERNAMA