KUALA LUMPUR – Malaysia’s sensational men’s singles player, Lee Zii Jia, admits he is working to overcome his home tournament jinx after frequently suffering early exits on home soil.
The feeling began to fade after he successfully dispatched China’s Zhao Jun Peng with a score of 19-21, 21-11, 21-14 to advance past the first round of the Malaysia Masters today.
For him, it’s something he’s been striving for after gaining confidence by clinching the Thailand Open title last week.
Zii Jia’s fortunes in home tournaments have often ended in painful defeats, including earlier this year when he stumbled in the first round of the Malaysia Open.
In last year’s Malaysia Open and Malaysia Masters, he only managed to progress to the second round.
His best attempt on home soil was reaching the semi-finals of the Malaysia Masters 2020.
Hence, he is reluctant to celebrate today’s victory too much as he is scheduled to face India’s rising star, Kiran George, in the second round tomorrow.
“I’m trying to solve this kind of problem. As a professional player, I always face challenges, and this is one of the problems I need to find a solution for.
“Maybe I can solve it this time, maybe I can’t. Maybe in two years, maybe even in 10 years. I see this as a test for me as I prepare for the Olympics.
“Of course, today’s victory makes me relax a bit. I mean, when I lost the first set earlier, I told myself I didn’t want to lose in the first round again.
“I’m happy that I could calm myself down and display my best performance in the second and third sets.
“I think this is something positive. I don’t know what will happen tomorrow, but the important thing is that I won today, and tomorrow we’ll think about it again,” said Zii Jia.
Also advancing to the second round is Zii Jia’s compatriot, Leong Jun Hao, who overcame another Chinese player, Lei Lan Xi, with a score of 13-21, 23-21, 21-12.
This marks Jun Hao’s first time advancing to the second round of the Malaysia Masters after facing disappointment in the last three editions.
He will face another formidable opponent tomorrow, Li Shi Feng, who is also the tournament’s third seed.
“I feel good because I played at home and managed to advance to the second round. I hope to continue this momentum.
“China indeed has many players, and each of them has a different playing style.
“It’s challenging to face them, but what’s important is that I continue to show good gameplay when competing against them,” added Jun Hao. – May 22, 2024