Shenzhen: Malaysian men’s singles player, Lee Zii Jia, faced defeat in the quarterfinals of the China Masters on Friday, losing in straight games to Japan’s Kenta Nishimoto, and missing the chance to advance to the semi-finals.
Highlights of Lee Zii Jia vs. Kenta Nishimoto in the 2023 China Masters quarter-finals:
Lee, ranked 11th globally, suffered a 11-21, 12-21 defeat against Kenta Nishimoto, ranked 13th worldwide. Despite this setback, Lee still maintains a favorable head-to-head record of 6 wins and 3 losses against Nishimoto.
In the first game, Lee fell behind at 4-11 and 8-16, ultimately losing 11-21. The second game saw a valiant effort from Lee, who briefly led 9-8, but a lapse resulted in losing six consecutive points. Despite making an attempt to catch up, he lost 12-21, concluding the match in 40 minutes.
In the upcoming men’s singles semi-finals, Kenta Nishimoto is set to face China’s Zhao Junpeng. Meanwhile, Japan already secured a place in the men’s singles final as Kanta Tsuneyama engages in a semi-final battle with teammate Kodai Naraoka.
In the women’s singles category, China secured a spot in the final as No. 8 seed Han Yue triumphed over teammate Zhang Yiman in a closely contested match, winning 21-5, 19-21, 21-17. Han Yue will face compatriot Wang Zhiyi in the semi-finals, who defeated former world champion Nozomi Okuhara 21-13, 11-21, 21-8 in another thrilling encounter.
The second half of the women’s singles top 8 featured an all-Chinese semi-final between No. 3 seed Chen Yufei and No. 6 seed He Bingjiao. Despite losing the first game 20-22, Chen Yufei rebounded with a 21-14 victory in the second game. The match ended abruptly when leading 5-4 in the deciding game, as He Bingjiao retired for unknown reasons.
Chen Yufei is now set to face South Korean player Kim Ga Eun in the semi-finals. Overall, China showcased dominance in the women’s singles category at the 2023 China Masters.
