PETALING JAYA: National men’s singles shuttler Lee Zii Jia received a major boost in his bid to return to the top of the game as he defeated higher-ranked Belgian player Julien Carraggi in straight games at the Thailand Masters today.
The Malaysian player, ranked 79th, beat the world No 53 shuttler 21-19, 21-11 in a match that lasted just 29 minutes at the Nimibutr Stadium in Bangkok.
This victory will be a major confidence booster for the Paris bronze medallist who was knocked out in the first two World Tour championships this year – the Malaysia and Indian Opens.
In last week’s Indonesia Masters, Zii Jia progressed to the second round before losing to an Indian player.
He will take on the winner of the match between India’s Mithun Manjunath and Magnus Johannesen of Denmark tomorrow.