ZII JIA GAME FOR CHALLENGE AT THOMAS CUP

Second singles shuttler game for challenge at Thomas Cup

PETALING JAYA: Lee Zii Jia (pic) is relishing the challenge of playing a key role as Malaysia’s second singles shuttler when the Thomas Cup Finals gets underway in Bangkok from May 20-27.

The 20-year-old has shone in the second singles role during the Asian Team Championships, which was also the Thomas Cup qualifiers, in Alor Setar in February.

Playing in his hometown, Zii Jia won four of the five matches including beating the higher-ranked Vincent Wong Wing Ki of Hong Kong and Hsu Jen-hao of Taiwan to help Malaysia reach the semi-finals and qualify for the Finals.

The second singles is the crucial third match of a tie. It could potentially seal a victory should Malaysia be leading 2-0, while it could also help stage a fightback if they are trailing by a similar scoreline.

“You can be hero or zero,” admitted Zii Jia, the world No. 45.

In Bangkok, it is a heavier responsibility that Zii Jia is well aware of but he wants to make his debut a memorable one.

“As this is my first Thomas Cup and it means a lot to me. I’m ready for the challenge and I’d like to make it count.

“I expect myself to do well and play my part to help the team achieve their goal (of reaching the semi-finals).”

Other players in the singles department are Lee Chong Wei, Iskandar Zulkarnain Zainuddin and another debutant Leong Jun Hao.

Malaysia are in Group D with Denmark, Russia and Algeria.

In the group stage, Zii Jia could be pitted against Denmark’s world No. 16 Anders Antonsen, and a potential clash against world No. 19 Jeon Hyeok-jin of South Korea or world No. 12 Anthony Ginting of Indonesia in the quarter-finals.

Despite going up against his more illustrious rivals, Zii Jia is unfazed by the daunting task.

“I won’t put pressure on myself. I’m just going to play my best to deliver the point no matter who I’ll face,” he vowed.