KUALA LUMPUR: Lee Zii Jia gave his fans the best Hari Raya gift when he checked into the second round of the Asian Championships (BAC) on Wednesday.
Looking very comfortable on court, the world No. 11 men's singles player did not waste any time as he raced to a 21-9, 21-13 win over India's Priyanshu Rajawat in the first round at the Ningbo Olympic Sports Centre.
The 2022 champion, whom many are hoping will feature for Malaysia at the Thomas Cup in Chengdu, China, later this month, will play Taiwan's Chou Tien Chen next.
"First day of Eid and we've been served with a straight game win for Zii Jia at the BAC.
"In the next round, we will see Zii Jia up against Tien Chen for the ninth time," Team LZJ shared on their social media platforms.
On paper, the Taiwanese shuttler will start as favourite with a 5-3 head to head record.
However, in the last encounter between both shuttlers (2023 Sudirman Cup), Zii Jia came out tops with a straight game win.
In the mixed doubles, it wasn't a good day for Malaysia's top pair Chen Tang Jie-Toh Ee Wei, who lost 21-15, 21-15 to world No. 1 Zheng Si Wei-Huang Ya Qiong.
The Chinese pair will play Singapore's Terry Hee-Jessica Tan next.
In the women's doubles, independent duo Vivian Hoo-Lim Chiew Sien lost 21-11, 21-10 to South Korea's Jeong Na Eun-Kim Hye Jeong.
The Koreans take on seventh seeds Zhang Shu Xian-Zheng Yu of China in the second round.