Zii Jia goes down fighting to Antonsen at Arctic Open semis

Men’s singles shuttler Lee Zii Jia put up a gallant fight against top Danish player Anders Antonsen before going down in three games in the semi-final at the Arctic Open.

The Malaysian world No 56 player lost to the 6th ranked Antonsen 11-21, 21-15, 16-21 in 77 minutes at the Energia Areena in Vantaa, Finland. Despite the loss, Zii Jia produced some of his past brilliance, showing he will not be a pushover in future tournaments.

This has been the best performance this season for the Malaysian professional, a former world No 2 player, Olympic bronze medallist and All England champion.

His last and only semi-final appearance before this was at the lower-ranked Super 300 Canada Open in July.

Today’s match will be a major boost for Zii Jia as he has faced a tough journey since his return this January after a lengthy layoff following an injury, including being knocked out seven times in the opening rounds.