Arctic Open 2026: Lee Zii Jia Falls to Antonsen in Semi-Final
Popov Upset Gave Malaysian His First Super 500 Semi-Final in Two Years After Qualifying Rounds and Months of Poor Form
Lee Zii Jia’s run at the Arctic Open ended in the semi-finals on Saturday, when he lost 11-21, 21-15, 16-21 to Denmark’s Anders Antonsen at Vantaa Energia Areena in Finland.
The world No. 56 had been the surprise of the tournament. Antonsen, ranked sixth in the world, took the match after Zii Jia fought back in the second game. The defeat does not take away from the week, as it was Zii Jia’s first Super 500 semi-final in two years.
Zii Jia’s run was unlikely from the start. He skipped the Asian Games and began his campaign in the qualifying round, because at No. 56 in the rankings he was not guaranteed a main-draw place. He also came into the tournament after early exits at the Vietnam Open in September and the Korean Masters in August. His coach Liew Daren had acknowledged the poor results and said the team could only keep working hard.
The 28-year-old came through qualifying, including a win over Finland’s Kalle Koljonen. In the first round he met Dong Tian Yao, the Chinese player who had beaten him in qualifying at the Orleans Masters, and beat him, a result the Malaysian press called revenge.
In the second round on Thursday, Zii Jia beat Taiwan’s Su Li-yang. The world No. 39 lost 21-17, 21-12 in 46 minutes. That set up a quarter-final against the second seed.
The biggest result of Zii Jia’s week came against France’s Christo Popov. The world No. 2 and second seed was beaten in two games. Popov had never beaten Zii Jia in their meetings, and had lost to him in the first round of the 2024 Arctic Open. The win showed the Malaysian, the 2023 champion at this event, still has the quality to beat the world’s best.
Antonsen took control from the start, winning the first game 21-11. Zii Jia responded in the second, taking it 21-15 to force a decider. The Dane regained control in the third game and won it 21-16.
The two have a history. Zii Jia beat Antonsen in straight games in the quarter-finals of the 2024 Paris Olympics. This time the Dane had the advantage.
The semi-final loss does not undo what Zii Jia achieved in Vantaa. After a difficult run of results, he beat the world No. 2 and made his first Super 500 semi-final in two years. He can take that confidence into his upcoming tournaments.
Credit Photo : BAT
