Hasrat perseorangan lelaki negara, Lee Zii Jia, untuk melangkah ke separuh akhir lebur selepas tewas di tangan pilihan utama, Kento Momota, 21-12, 21-8 dalam aksi suku akhir Kejohanan Badminton Dunia di St. Jakobshalle, Basel, Switzerland, sebentar tadi.
Kekalahan itu bermakna Malaysia gagal menempatkan wakil dalam separuh akhir selepas beregu campuran, Chan Peng Soon-Goh Liu Ying, sebelum itu turut ditunjukkan jalan keluar oleh rakan senegara Momota, Yuta Watanabe-Arisa Higashino, 18-21 21-12, 21-11.
Selepas mempamerkan ketahanan terpuji menerusi kemenangan dalam set penentuan 21-15, 11-21, 22-20 di peringkat pusingan ketiga ketika menentang seorang lagi wakil Jepun, Kenta Nishimoto, pemain kelahiran Kedah itu bermula positif untuk mengikat Momota 8-8 dalam set pertama.
Namun, Momota -- yang juga turun selaku juara bertahan -- mula mengorak langkah apabila mudah membaca setiap pergerakan pemain berusia 21 tahun itu sebelum menamatkan set pertama 21-12.
Mata demi mata diraih juara Kejohanan Asia 2019 itu apabila aksi bersambung tatkala Zii Jia kerap melakukan kesilapan mudah sambil lawannya bijak menggunakan kesempatan terhidang untuk mendahului 8-2.
Pemain berusia 24 tahun kelahiran Mino, Kagawa itu tidak berdepan masalah untuk terus menjarakkan kedudukan dan mengesahkan slot ke separuh akhir selepas menamatkan saingan 21-8, sekali gus meleburkan hasrat Zii Jia untuk mencipta kejutan dalam penampilan pertama Kejohanan Dunia.
Penulis Jemputan
Fri Aug 23 2019
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