Yeosu: Lee Zii Jia faced an unfortunate defeat in the first round of the 2023 Korea Open, losing to Hong Kong’s Ng Ka Long with a score of 15-21, 21-18, 17-21. Notably, Ng Ka Long had previously been coached by Lee Zii Jia’s current coach, Wong Tat Meng. After Wong’s departure from the Hong Kong badminton team, Wong Choong Hann, the former director of singles coaching at the Badminton Association of Malaysia, took over as the singles coach for Hong Kong, adding an intriguing dynamic to the competition.
Highlights of Lee Zii Jia vs. Ng Ka Long in the 2023 Korea Open first round:
On the brighter side for Malaysia, Ng Tze Yong, demonstrated exceptional skill and determination by advancing to the round of 16. He secured an impressive victory against India’s Mithun Manjunath, becoming the sole Malaysian men’s singles player to reach the second round of the 2023 Korea Open.
In other matches, Malaysia’s national champion and current World No. 58, Leong Jun Hao, unfortunately faced defeat against Singapore’s former world champion, Loh Kean Yew, with a score of 21-10, 21-14. Additionally, Malaysia’s independent men’s singles player, Cheam June Wei, was knocked out of the tournament by Chinese Taipei’s No. 2 seed, Chou Tien Chen, with a score of 13-21, 11-21.
Despite some setbacks in the men’s singles category, Malaysia showed strength in the men’s doubles. Three Malaysian pairs, Ong Yew Sin/Teo Ee Yi, Aaron Chia/Soh Wooi Yik, and Goh Sze Fei/Nur Izzuddin, successfully advanced to the second round. Ong/Teo will face Goh/Izzuddin in the next round, while Chia/Soh will compete against Keiichiro Matsui/Yoshinori Takeuchi.
In the women’s singles category, Malaysia’s top player, Goh Jin Wei, experienced a closely contested match but was ultimately defeated by Indonesian player Putri Kusuma Wardani with a score of 18-21, 21-14, 19-21.
However, despite Goh Jin Wei’s challenges, two other Malaysian women’s singles players, Kisona Selvaduray and Karupathevan Letshanaa, successfully advanced to the second round. Both players will face tough opponents on Thursday, with Selvaduray meeting Japan’s World No. 1 Akane Yamaguchi and Letshanaa earning an opportunity to challenge Chinese Taipei’s No. 4 seed, Tai Tzu Ying.
In a surprising upset, Indian player PV Sindhu, who recently sought coaching assistance from former Malaysian All England champion Hafiz Hashim, suffered a first-round exit at the hands of Chinese Taipei’s Pai Yu Po, losing with a score of 18-21, 21-10, 13-21.
Overall, the 2023 Korea Open showcased intense competition and surprises, making it an engaging tournament for badminton enthusiasts.
