KUALA LUMPUR: Chong Wei has retired up but another Lee is carrying the Malaysian flag on the international stage.
He is Lee Zii Jia, who stunned China’s Olympic champion Chen Long in the second round of the Indonesian Open yesterday.
The 21-year-old had the better of two-time World Champion Chen Long, winning 21-16, 19-21, 22-20 in 90 minutes.
As the scoreline showed, Chen Long tried hard but he met his match in the Malaysian yesterday.
Zii Jia had said on the eve of the Indonesian Open that he had wanted to meet a top player to show where he stands.
“I am very happy that I upset an Olympic champion, Chen Long who is also one of my favourite players.
“I never expected to beat Chen Long today. I gave my best and I won. I am excited with my performance.
“There is still one more match to go, and it’s not time to celebrate yet,” said Zii Jia.
In Chen Long yesterday, the Malaysian couldn’t find a tougher opponent but Zii Jia showed that he has what it takes to be a world beater.
World No. 16 Zii Jia will take on Denmark’s s World No. 11 Anders Antonsen in the last eight today.
It was a bad day for China as their stars Lin Dan and Shi Yuqi were eliminated in the second round. Lin Dan was knocked out 22-24, 21-17, 13-21 by Taiwan's Chen Chou-tien while Shi Yuqi couldn’t continue and retired after falling behind 6-7 against Antonsen.