Copenhagen: Malaysia’s dynamic duo, Lee Zii Jia and Ng Tze Yong sent waves of excitement to their fans by seizing first-round victories at the Copenhagen World Badminton Championships on Monday.
Lee Zii Jia who was facing off against Indonesian star World No. 5 Jonatan Christie, dominated the match with a straight-set victory of 21-13 and 21-15. This triumph marks Lee Zii Jia’s fourth consecutive win over Christie.
Highlights of Lee Zii Jia vs. Jonatan Christie in the 2023 World Championships first round:
Ng, the World No. 22 player had to dig deep to engage in a fierce battle against World No. 26 Zhao Junpeng of China, prevailing with a nail-biting score of 21-19, 26-24.
Highlights of Ng Tze Yong vs. Zhao Jun Peng in the 2023 World Championships first round:
With their advancement to the second round, the World No. 13 Lee Zii Jia will play Brian Yang of Canada, while Ng is now set to cross racquets with World No. 12 Anders Antonsen.
The opening round also showcased notable victories for players such as India’s veteran HS Prannoy and other seeded players such as Viktor Axelsen, Loh Kean Yew, Kunlavut Vitidsarn, Li Shifeng, Chou Tien Chen.
In an electrifying display, Denmark’s Viktor Axelsen commenced his title defense in front of a home crowd. He defeated Nhat Nguyen of Ireland and will play Christo Popov of France in the second round.
In the women’s singles category, Malaysia’s World No. 35 Goh Jin Wei, secured victory against Vivien Sandorhazi of Hungary. This victory marks an end to Goh’s nine-tournament first-round losing streak, spanning from the Badminton Asia Championships to the Australian Open. Her journey continues as she prepares to challenge An Se Young, the World No. 1 from Korea.
Another Malaysia women’s singles representative, Kisona Selvaduray, ranked 57th in the world, faced a formidable opponent in Chinese Taipei’s Bai Yu Po. Despite a valiant effort and an intense three-game match, Kisona narrowly lost with a final score of 22-20, 19-21, 13-21.
