Malaysia Men’s Badminton national team passed to the semi-final and confirmed the bronze medal at least, after beating Japan Men’s Badminton national team 3-1 pairs in the Thomas Cup 2024 Quarter-Final at Hi-Tech Zone Sports Centre Gymnasium, Chengdu.
Lee Zii Jia first cheered up the national camp after he had no problem defeating the 11th ranked player in the world, Kenta Nishimoto through a ‘straight set’ game.
The first set saw both players chasing each other’s points and tied at 11-11. However, Zii Jia after that performed fiercely enough to win 21-13.
Everything seemed to go wrong for Nishimoto in the second set where he made many simple mistakes that clearly disrupted his pace throughout the match.
The opportunity was fully taken by Zii Jia to dominate the game thus confirming the first victory for the national team with a score of 21-3.
It was also Lee Zii Jia’s eighth win over Kenta Nishimoto after 11 matches between them.
Japan tied the score at 1-1 through the first doubles after Takuro Hoki-Yugo Kobayashi battled to defeat Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik 18-21, 21-14, 21-19.
The pair ranked sixth in the world has always been a problem for Aaron and Wooi Yik who have lost seven matches in a row.
Leong Jun Hao displayed a strong game pattern to defeat the better ranked player, Koki Watanabe to put Malaysia back in front.
The second singles player was seen to be quite calm in inviting Watanabe to play at the net and often trapped the opponent.
The neat action of the 24-year-old player allowed him to step out of the court in style with a 21-13, 21-10 victory.
The pairing of Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzudin Rumsani ensured that the semi-final slot belonged to Malaysia after they defeated Akira Koga-Taichi Saito in action that continued to the deciding set 18-21, 21-15, 21-12.
Waiting for Malaysia tomorrow is the winner between the two former champions, China and India. China is leading 2-1 in the second doubles action.
Credit Photo : BAM
