PETALING JAYA: Reigning All England champion Lee Zii Jia made light work of his opponent Artem Pochtarov of Ukraine at the Musashino Forest Sport Plaza today with a 21-5, 21-11 Group M victory at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
Zii Jia and Pochtarov had played each other twice previously, with each having won once.
However, the Kedahan came out tops in Japan with a ruthless performance to beat his opponent in 25 minutes.
He will next play Frenchman Brice Leverdez on Wednesday.
“It’s my first ever Olympics and I managed to get a win in the first week. So I’m happy with that,” Zii Jia told the Badminton World Federation.
“I still have two days before my next match with Brice Leverdez. He’s a very experienced player and he’s upset many top players like Lee Chong Wei. I will take him as he is.”