Vantaa: In the Arctic Badminton Super 500, three Malaysian men’s singles players – Lee Zii Jia, Ng Tze Yong, and Leong Jun Hao – have secured their spots in the quarterfinals. Notably, Lee Zii Jia will be pitted against Leong Jun Hao for a coveted semifinal berth.
World No. 19 Ng Tze Yong triumphed over the 5th-seeded player from Chinese Taipei, Chou Tien Chen, with scores of 21-15, 21-16 on Thursday. This marks Ng’s third straight victory over Chen since their encounters at this year’s Thailand and Hong Kong Opens. Ng’s next opponent in the quarterfinals will be China’s 4th seed, Lu Guangzu, who dispatched Indian shuttler Kiran George in two sets.
After a grueling 75-minute face-off, World No. 38 Leong Jun Hao overcame Arnaud Merkle of France, ranked 53rd globally, with scores of 15-21, 21-17, 21-19. Leong displayed remarkable resilience, particularly in the decisive game where he lagged behind until a crucial 5-point streak changed the momentum in his favor. Despite Merkle saving a match point, a subsequent net error allowed Leong to clinch the victory.
Lee Zii Jia, on the other hand, outlasted Indonesia’s Chico Aura Dwi Wardoyo, world No. 22, in a three-game thriller, 21-17, 18-21, 21-11. This represents Lee’s fifth win over Wardoyo in their six encounters.
In the men’s doubles category, World No. 23 pair Man Wei Chong/Tee Kai Wun, who had earlier stunned World No. 4 Aaron Chia/Soh Wooi Yik in the first round, narrowly defeated Japan’s World No. 27 Keiichiro Matsui/Yoshinori Takeuchi in a match that ended 22-20, 20-22, 21-19. Their next opponents will be Indonesia’s World No. 21 duo, Pramudya Kusumawardana/Yeremia Erich Yoche Yacob Rambitan.
Additionally, World No. 9 Ong Yew Sin/Teo Ee Yi advanced by besting Scotland’s Alexander Dunn/Adam Hall with scores of 21-17, 21-14. They’re set to face Denmark’s World No. 29 pair Rasmus Kjær/Frederik Søgaard next.
In the mixed doubles, Chen Tang Jie/Toh Ee Wei remain the sole Malaysian pair standing. They dominated their match against Hong Kong’s World No. 18 Tang Chun Man/Tse Ying Suet with scores of 21-11, 21-10 in their inaugural face-off. They will now face a challenge from Thailand’s World No. 5 pair Dechapol Puavaranukroh/Sapsiree Taerattanachai in the upcoming quarter-finals.
