Zii Jia Stuns Momota To Enter Semis

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Lee Zii Jia finally beats two-time world champion Kento Momota after seven meetings. (AP pic)PETALING JAYA: Malaysia’s Lee Zii Jia stunned world No 1 shuttler Kento Momota of Japan 21-16, 21-19 in the quarterfinals of the All England Open today.
It was the first win for the Malaysian over the two-time world champion in seven meetings.
Zii Jia, who is ranked 10th in the world, has lost in all six previous meetings, including at last year’s Malaysian Masters.
Momota was making his first international appearance since winning the Malaysian Masters, where he was later involved in a major accident.
With the victory, Zii Jia will be making his second semifinal appearance at the All England. He also reached the semifinal last year but lost to Viktor Axelsen of Denmark.
Zii Jia will now face Holland’s Mark Caljouw in the semifinals tomorrow.
A win will make him the first Malaysian men’s singles player to make the prestigious tournament’s final since Lee Chong Wei in 2017.
Zii Jia was understandably excited.
“It’s a very big moment for me in my career. This is my first win against Momota. We’ve met six times and I’ve never won and I’m very happy about it.
“My game plan was to fight everything I could and I know Momota is very tough; you have to focus on every shot and every moment and you can lose focus.
“I’m very happy I have made it twice to the semifinal, so for me I want to enjoy this moment. I have my match tomorrow so I can’t celebrate too much, I need to focus.”
Momota admitted that he did not play well.
“I was rushing through the match and that’s why I couldn’t play my game. I did not have a chance to think through my play and that’s why I struggled. I could feel the tensions throughout this tournament,” he said. - FMT

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