Zii Jia marches into Hylo Open last 16 after gritty win
KUALA LUMPUR: Independent men's singles shuttler Lee Zii Jia advanced to the Hylo Open last 16 today after a hard-fought opening victory.
Lee Zii Jia, an independent Malaysian men’s singles shuttler, has progressed to the Hylo Open last 16 after a challenging victory. The 42nd-ranked player defeated world No. 33 Jason Teh of Singapore with a score line of 21-16, 19-21, 21-17 in their opening match at the Saarlandhalle Indoor Arena. This win also served as a revenge for Zii Jia's previous first-round loss to Teh at the Swiss Open in March. This was their only previous head-to-head encounter.
Zii Jia is aiming for his first title in two years, last securing one at the Australian Open in 2024. He recently demonstrated signs of regaining his form after reaching the semi-finals of the Arctic Open three weeks ago. Both the Hylo Open and the Arctic Open are Super 500 events.
In the next round of the tournament on Thursday, Zii Jia will face a tough challenge against Japan's world No. 9 Kodai Naraoka for a quarter-final spot. The two players have a tied 3-3 record in their head-to-head matches. Naraoka advanced to this round by defeating Poland's world No. 99 Dominic Kwinta with a score line of 21-18, 21-14.
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