KOTA KINABALU: Lee Zii Jia secured his spot in the men’s singles semi-finals of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games after defeating the fourth-seeded Anders Antonsen of Denmark in two sets and 53 minutes at the Porte de La Chapelle Arena.
The victory was met with enthusiastic cheers from supporters of both countries.
Zii Jia, the seventh seed, kicked things off with an aggressive style, putting his opponent in a tough spot with some sharp net play and hardly any errors.
The 25-year-old was ahead 11-8 in the first set and wrapped it up with a flurry of smashes that Antonsen just couldn’t handle, finishing the set in 26 minutes.
In the second set, Zii Jia kept up the same strategy but was a bit less steady after taking a lead of 11-6. Antonsen, who had a slight edge in their previous matchups at 5-3, fought back to close the gap, trying to push for a third set at 10-14, 11-16, and 15-18.
After a tough 53-minute match, Zii Jia sealed the win when Antonsen’s return went out of bounds.
With this win, Zii Jia is set to take on Thailand’s badminton sensation Kunlavut Vitidsarn in the semi-finals this Sunday.
Kunlavut, the reigning world champ and eighth seed, stunned top seed Shi Yu Qi from China with a quick 21-12, 21-10 victory in just 43 minutes.
