KUALA LUMPUR: It was only the opening match of the tie, but Lee Zii Jia knows how important it was for him to deliver the first point for Malaysia at the Thomas Cup in Chengdu, China, today.
Against Hong Kong, the world No. 10 men's singles player did not disappoint when he scored a superb 21-18, 21-18 win over world No. 15 Lee Cheuk Yiu to put Malaysia ahead at the Hi Tech Zone Sports Centre.
The independent shuttler said: "It's a huge relief because there was a lot of pressure on me to deliver the first point for Malaysia. It was very crucial for me.
"Overall, I'm happy I got to deliver the first point for my team, who are also very supportive.
"I've played Cheuk Yiu many times so we know each other's game well.
"There was no special strategy because Wong Choong Hann (Hong Kong men's singles coach) was there while coach Tat Meng was on my side.
"Of course my coach shared a few pointers as he had coached Hong Kong before, but it was nothing out of the ordinary."
Zii Jia, who is making his fourth straight appearance in the world team championship, said he cannot take his foot off the pedal, as Malaysia still have a tough match against European champions Denmark in Group D.
"We play Algeria next, but I cannot relax too much. I hope to maintain this momentum because we have a tough match against Denmark," added Zii Jia, who has earned four points out of six matches he played as Malaysia's No. 1 singles at the Finals.