Zii Jia breaks 1st round curse at US Open

PETALING JAYA: National men’s singles shuttler Lee Zii Jia’s comeback bid saw a positive turn at the US Open this morning after he broke the first-round jinx by defeating a Vietnamese player in his opening round match of the World Tour Super 300 event.

The world No 63, who has suffered five first-round exits this year including the last four tournaments, beat Nguyen Hai Dang, who is ranked two places above him, in straight games, 21-15, 21-17, in the match played at the California State University in Fullerton.

Despite his younger opponent going on the attack for most of the match, Zii Jia appeared calm and controlled to win it in 40 minutes.

Zii Jia’s win is seen as a “kiss of life” moment for the former world No 2, whose downhill slide caused by a prolonged injury, was seen by some as the start of an end to his brilliant career which saw him winning the Olympics bronze in Paris two years ago and the All England Open in 2021.

He faces a tough second round match against seasoned Indian shuttler Srikanth Kidambi tomorrow.

The US Open might not be the most prestigious title on the BWF calendar, but for a player searching for a spark, it is the perfect stage.

Earlier, men’s singles player Cheam June Wei cleared the first round by beating Taiwan’s Ting Yen Chen in 32 minutes with a score of 21-8, 21-18. In the second round, June Wei takes on Israeli Misha Zilberman.