Zii Jia bites the dust in Bitburger Open

FATIGUE and lack of patience proved to be Lee Zii Jia’s undoing in the semi-finals of the Bitburger Open in Germany on Friday.

The 19-year-old Malaysian, who was outstanding in the quarter-finals on Friday, was too eager to win against Denmark’s Rasmus Gemke in the last four.

As a result, Zii Jia’s game plan fell apart as he went down tamely 21-11, 21-12 to Gemke.

Nonetheless, Zii Jia, who recently won the Polish International Series, can take heart from his Europe performance.

And he has vowed to come back stronger in the Malaysia International Challenge in Pasir Gudang next week.

The defeat also ended Malaysia’s interest in the Bitburger Open.

“After a hard fought battle against Brice Leverdez (France) in the quarterfinals on Friday, I thought I could go on and reach the final, I was wrong,” lamented Zii Jia.

“I felt drained, but it was also because I thought I could win easily. These are lessons I learn along the way.

“I am still happy with my performance in Germany, and I thank everyone who has played a part in my development.

“Next up is the Malaysia International Challenge. I promise to give my best.”

The Kedah-born has set his sights on breaking into the world top 40 by the end of the year. Earlier, Zii Jia had targeted to make the top 60 by end of next month but he has achieved that already. Fabian Peter