Malaysia’s Lee Zii Jia hits a shot to Ukraine’s Artem Pochtarov in their men’s singles badminton group stage match during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at the Musashino Forest Sports Plaza in Tokyo on July 25, 2021. — AFP photo
TOKYO (July 25): National men’s singles ace Lee Zii Jia got his maiden Olympic outing off to a cracking start with an emphatic 21-5, 21-11 win over Ukraine’s Artem Pochtarov in his opening Group M tie at the Musashino Forest Sport Plaza here today.
The 23-year-old Zii Jia, who is ranked eighth in the world, was in sizzling form as he turned on the style with his deft flicks and deadly smashes to brush aside his opponent in just 25 minutes.
Zii Jia was clearly a class above in the first game, trouncing the world number 98 Ukrainian 21-5 in just nine minutes before wrapping up the second game with a 21-11 win.
The Kedah-born Zii Jia, who won the All England title in March and is the country’s medal hopeful at the Tokyo Olympics, will next face Frenchman Brice Leverdez in his second Group M match. — Bernama