Source: REUTERS/IVAN ALVARADO
[Saba Sports News] The 2024 Malaysian Open began a few days ago, and
the first day of matches witnessed several surprising upsets. Among them,
Malaysia’s top-ranked men’s singles player, LEE Zii Jia, experienced a defeat
against Lu Guang Zu, the 19th-ranked Chinese player, after a grueling three-set
match. This marked a disappointing start to the new year for him. In a
post-match interview, Lee Zi Jia expressed his weariness of fans always
mentioning the expectation of a strong rebound after losses. However, he
affirmed his determination not to give up easily and pledged to continue
working hard. He committed to surpassing the daily training targets set by his
coach and striving to win as soon as possible. Regarding the reasons for his
defeat in this game, Lee acknowledged that Lu Guangzu’s defensive style
conserved energy and improved as the match progressed. If dragged into a
decisive game, Lu Guangzu would leverage his physical strength. In comparison,
Lee admitted to lacking patience during the game, leading to an increase in
mistakes as time went on. Nevertheless, he acknowledged that this could not be
an excuse for the loss. Some fans mockingly commented that Lee’s marketing
outweighed his actual strength, labeling him a badminton
“businessman.”