Zii Jia to face Christo Popov in exciting showdown
KUALA LUMPUR: Lee Zii Jia is only one win away from matching his best result on the World Tour this season.
Lee Zii Jia is a step closer to his best performance on the World Tour this season, having defeated Taiwan's Su Li Yang 21-17, 21-12 in just 46 minutes at the Arctic Open in Vantaan Energia Areena on Thursday. The Malaysian now has just one win to match his last four semi-final appearance at the Canada Open in July. This is Zii Jia's first quarter-final appearance on the World Tour since that tournament in Canada, suggesting a promising resurgence following recent injuries and inconsistent form.
Zii Jia holds a 2-0 head-to-head advantage over France's Christo Popov, who will be his next opponent in the quarter-finals. Both Popov brothers have shown significant improvement since Zii Jia recovered from his fitness struggles, which began with an ankle injury in late 2024. With Popov currently ranked World No. 2, Zii Jia will face a formidable challenge to advance to the semi-finals.
Meanwhile, Malaysian mixed doubles pairing Jimmy Wong–Cheng Su Yin suffered a disappointing second-round loss to Japan's Akira Koga–Natsu Saito at the Asia Games, failing to live up to their previous successes at the Japan Open semi-finals and Korea Masters quarter-finals.
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