All England: Classy Lee Zii Jia Thwarts Chen Long
A finely balanced performance by Lee Zii Jia saw him through to the semifinals of the YONEX All England 2020 – the farthest he has gone in a major event so far.
· DEV SUKUMAR
In Lee’s 21-12 21-18 takedown of former champion Chen Long in the quarterfinals today, two elements shone through – new-found patience and consistency.
The score wasn’t reflective of how tight the match actually was, particularly in the second game with Chen always hovering close behind Lee. All through, the Malaysian had bided his time on every rally, pushing the pace only when he sensed his opportunity. When his rasping smashes were returned, he was unruffled – the waiting game commenced again, until the next injection of pace.
In many ways, Lee had dished out to Chen Long what the Olympic champion usually does to others – he showed the heart for a fight, was nimble in defence, and picked the moments when he had to rev up the pace. At the net, he barely made an error today.