KUALA LUMPUR: Men’s singles shuttler Lee Zii Jia’s journey at the All-England came to an end after he was eliminated in the semifinals today.
The world No 13 fought tooth and nail before going down 21-17, 13-21, 19-21 to second seed Viktor Axelsen of Denmark in a nerve breaking battle that lasted 73 minutes at Arena Birmingham in England.
The 21-year-old, a debutant at the prestigious badminton championship which offers a lucrative purse of RM4.705 million, booked his last four berth after stunning Rio 2016 Olympic gold medallist Chen Long of China.
The 2019 SEA Games gold medallist’s gallant run in the tournament began with an upset win over sixth-ranked Jonatan Christie of Indonesia in the opening round on Wednesday.
Zii Jia’s defeat marks the end of Malaysia’s challenge. The last Malaysian to emerge champion in men’s singles was Lee Chong Wei in 2017.