PETALING JAYA: Professional men’s singles shuttler Lee Zii Jia failed to progress to the semi-finals of the Orleans Masters badminton championships in France when he lost to Ireland’s Nhat Nguyen in the quarterfinals last night.
In the match played at the Palais des Sports, Zii Jia, who was the top seed in the tournament, was sent packing by the unseeded shuttler 21-23, 7-21 in just 39 minutes, Bernama reported.
The win also helped Nguyen break his duck with Zii Jia, having lost the last three times they met on the court.
In the semifinals today, he will face Alex Lanier of France.
It was Zii Jia’s first tournament since he injured his ankle at the BWF World Tour Finals in Hangzhou, China, last December.
National men’s doubles pair Arif Junaidi-Yap Roy King defeated Taiwan’s Lee Jhe Huei-Yang Poh Hsuan 21-19, 21-18 to progress to the semifinals.
They will meet the top seeds from China, Liang Wei Keng-Wang Chang, for a spot in the final.