Lee Zii Jia advances to Canadian Open semifinals

Malaysian men's singles player Lee Zii Jia has successfully advanced to the semifinals of the Canadian Open badminton championship in Ontario, Canada. The victory secured his spot in the final four of the Super 300 tournament.

In the quarterfinals, Lee Zii Jia defeated Wang Po Wei, the world's No. 45 ranked player from Taiwan. The match concluded with a score of 21-15, 21-13 in just 34 minutes, marking Lee's best performance of the season.

Currently ranked world No. 60, Lee Zii Jia's journey to the semifinals is a significant achievement after a lengthy break due to injury last year. His previous best performance this season was reaching the quarterfinals of the Thailand Masters.

In the upcoming semifinal match, the 28-year-old Malaysian, who was once ranked world No. 2, will face Riki Takei of Japan. Lee holds a psychological edge, having won their previous encounter 1-0. However, he must remain cautious against the 20-year-old Japanese player, ranked world No. 74, who proved to be a tough opponent in their last meeting at the Australian Open qualifiers, where Lee won in three games.