KUALA LUMPUR – Independent men’s singles shuttler Lee Zii Jia admitted he was frustrated with himself after losing the first set to S. Kidambi from India in their first-round clash at the Indonesia Masters held at the Istora Senayan Indoor Stadium in Jakarta today.
The world number 10 had to battle back from one set down to win 19-21, 21-14, 21-11 in 54 minutes.
“I had to remind myself to keep going and keep believing in myself.
“In the first set, I was not in the game, as you can see Kidambi controlled the game.
“It was only until the match got to 20-14 where I started to chase him down 20-19.
“As you can see in the second and third set I was able to control the game,” the 25-year-old told the BWF.
The former All England champion said that he was in good physical condition despite playing in his third tournament this month.
Zii Jia was sent packing in the first round of the Malaysia Open on home soil after losing to Lu Guangzu of China.
He did better in the India Open last week, getting to the quarter-finals before losing to world number six Kodai Naraoka of Japan.
In the next round Zii Jia will go against Angus Ng Ka Long of Hong Kong.
“I lost to him three times last year, but won our most recent encounter. I hope to keep that momentum against Ka Long,” said Zii Jia. – January 24, 2024