KUALA LUMPUR: Lee Zii Jia got Malaysia off to a flying start when he hammered Japan's Kenta Nishimoto 21-13, 21-3 in the first singles in the Thomas Cup quarter-finals in Chengdu, China, today,
Zii Jia was in his element as he wrapped up his win against the world No. 11 in just 33 minutes.
Nishimoto had stepped in for world No. 5 Kodai Naraoka for the first singles role, and it turned out to be a mismatch.
It's not immediately known if Naraoka is unwell or injured which led to him sitting out of the important tie.