Former world No. 2 Lee Zii Jia continued his push back to top form with another confidence-boosting victory after reaching the second round of the Thailand Masters on Wednesday.
Competing at the Nimibutr Stadium in Bangkok, the Malaysian overcame early nerves to defeat Belgium’s world No. 53 Julien Carraggi in straight games, 21-19, 21-11.
Carraggi, a Paris 2024 Olympian, once again proved to be a tricky opponent for Zii Jia, having previously taken him to three games at the 2023 Denmark Open.
The opening game saw Zii Jia under heavy pressure as Carraggi stormed into a commanding 10-4 lead, raising concerns of a rare upset against a player ranked outside the world’s top 50.
The last time the current world No. 79 suffered such a defeat was back at the 2018 Swiss Open, when he lost to Denmark’s Jan O Jorgensen, then ranked No. 155.
However, the former All England champion showed resilience and composure, battling back from 17-12 down before drawing level at 19-19, then sealing the first game to swing the momentum firmly in his favour.
Zii Jia carried that rhythm into the second game, where he dominated proceedings to close out the match convincingly.
The win adds further encouragement to his recent resurgence, after snapping a 10-month winless run last week with a first-round triumph over India’s H.S. Prannoy at the Indonesia Masters.
Although his campaign there ended in the second round against Thailand’s Panitchaphon Teeraratsakul, Zii Jia’s latest performance suggests his confidence is steadily returning.
Next up, the Malaysian will face India’s Mithun Manjunath, with a spot in the last 16 on the line.
Credit Photo : BERNAMA
