Lee Zii Jia lost 11-21, 21-13, 14-21 to Japan’s top men’s singles shuttler Kodai Naraoka in the World Tour Super 500 championship. (EPA Images pic)PETALING JAYA: Men’s singles shuttler Lee Zii Jia went down fighting to top Japanese player Kodai Naraoka in the second round of the Hylo Open championship in Germany.
After losing tamely in the first game, the world No 42 came back strongly to take the second game but 7th-ranked Kodai eventually won 21-11, 13-21, 21-14 in 63 minutes in the World Tour Super 500 event at the Saarlandhalle indoor arena in Saarbrücken.
This is Zii Jia’s fourth loss to Kodai in their seven encounters so far. They last met in the Australia Open final in 2024 where the Malaysian player prevailed in three games.
