Malaysian Badminton Players’ Journey at 2024 Kumamoto Masters Japan
Quarter-Finals Upset for Lee Zii Jia
Kuala Lumpur, November 15 – National professional men’s singles player Lee Zii Jia’s hopes of reaching the semi-finals of the 2024 Kumamoto Masters Japan were dashed when he was stopped by world number six Jonatan Christie of Indonesia today.
In the quarter-final clash at the Kumamoto Prefectural Gymnasium, Zii Jia, who is ranked seventh in the world, started fiercely when he defeated Jonatan 21-12 but was defeated 18-21 and 18-21 in the next two sets. This was Zii Jia’s sixth defeat to the same player after the 2018 Malaysia Masters, 2018 Thomas Cup, 2019 Swiss Open, 2019 Singapore Open, and the 2024 Badminton Asia Championships.
Mixed Doubles and Men’s Doubles Teams’ Progress
National mixed doubles, Hoo Pang Ron-Cheng Su Yin also suffered the same fate when they were defeated by Dechapol Puavaranukroh-Supissara Paewsampran of Thailand, 17-21 and 16-21.
Meanwhile, the national professional mixed doubles team of Goh Soon Huat-Shevon Lai Jemie managed to place themselves in the top four after defeating the Japanese pair, Hiroki Midorikawa-Natsu Saito, 21-16 and 21-13. Soon Huat-Shevon, who entered as the third seed of the tournament, will face Thailand’s Dechapol-Supissara, who lost to the Malaysian pair in the 2024 Arctic Open last month.
The national professional men’s doubles team, Nur Mohd Azriyn Ayub Azriyn-Tan Wee Kiong also managed to overcome the quarter-final hurdle by defeating Chiu Hsiang Chieh-Wang Chi Lin of Taiwan, 21-19 and 21-19, and will continue the challenge against the tournament’s sixth seeds, Takuro Hoki-Yugo Kobayashi of Japan. This will be the first meeting for Wee Kiong-Nur Mohd Azriyn, who are ranked 40th in the world, against the ninth-ranked pair.
Conclusion
The Malaysian badminton players’ journey at the 2024 Kumamoto Masters Japan has been marked by both successes and setbacks. While Lee Zii Jia’s defeat to Jonatan Christie was a disappointment, the mixed doubles and men’s doubles teams have shown promise by advancing to the top four and quarter-finals respectively.
FAQs
Q: Who is Lee Zii Jia’s opponent in the quarter-finals of the 2024 Kumamoto Masters Japan?
A: Lee Zii Jia was defeated by world number six Jonatan Christie of Indonesia.
Q: Which Malaysian mixed doubles team advanced to the top four of the 2024 Kumamoto Masters Japan?
A: Goh Soon Huat-Shevon Lai Jemie managed to place themselves in the top four after defeating the Japanese pair, Hiroki Midorikawa-Natsu Saito.
Q: Who will Nur Mohd Azriyn Ayub Azriyn-Tan Wee Kiong face in the next round of the 2024 Kumamoto Masters Japan?
A: They will face the tournament’s sixth seeds, Takuro Hoki-Yugo Kobayashi of Japan.