Leong Jun Hao, Malaysia’s national number one in singles, defeated fellow Malaysian Lee Zii Jia to reach the second round of Hong Kong Open.
World No. 23 Jun Hao took down Zii Jia 21-16, 21-16 in 40 minutes at the Hong Kong Coliseum in Kowloon on September 10.
Lee never led the entire match. The closest he got was in the second game when he laced together four consecutive points to make it 11-11, but Leong recovered with four straight points of his own and never looked back.
This was Leong Jun Hao ‘s first victory over Zii Jia in his fourth attempt.
The 26-year-old will next face the winner of the match between teammate Justin Hoh and Frenchman Toma Junior Popov.
Lee Zii Jia’s return from injury
For Zii Jia, the wait continues for a first win since returning from an injury. It was his second early round exit after he also lost to South Korea’s Jeon Hyeok-jin in the first round of the World Championships in Paris.
The 27-year-old made his comeback from an ankle injury after five months in the world meet.
For Zii Jia, the loss extends a frustrating run as he looks to rebuild confidence and form after a lengthy layoff.
Once ranked as high as world No. 2, Zii Jia has slipped to No. 47 in the real-time rankings following months of inactivity.
He holds a protected ranking of No. 9, which will remain valid until the end of the year.
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But the result highlights the uphill task ahead for Zii Jia as he looks to rebuild confidence and momentum on his return.
Lee only made his return to the court from an ankle injury at last month’s BWF World Championships, having been shelved since the All England Open in March.
The 27-year-old is slated to feature next in for the China Masters in Shenzhen next week.
