Zii Jia storms into Canada Open semi-finals

PETALING JAYA: Lee Zii Jia made a major breakthrough in his comeback bid when he reached the men’s singles semi-finals of the Canada Open.

This marks the first time he has reached the last four stage after having competed in 11 BWF World Tour tournaments, since his return in January after a seven-month layoff due to an injury.

The world No 60 defeated Taiwan’s 45th ranked player Wang Po Wei 21-15, 21-13 in 34 minutes at the Pan Am Centre in Markham, Ontario last night.

In the semi-final tomorrow, the 28-year-old Malaysian will take on Japan’s world No 74 Riki Takei, who is six years younger and showing much promise with his recent wins over higher-ranked players. This will be their first encounter.

This will also be Zii Jia’s first semi-final appearance at a World Tour event since June 2024 at the Australia Open where he won his last title.

He also went on to win the bronze medal at the Paris Olympics the same year.

This may only be a World Tour Super 300 event but winning the title will mean a lot toward Zii Jia rebuilding his ranking which will then see him qualify for higher-ranked World Tour meets.

It is also a major breakthrough for Zii Jia, who had only reached one quarter-final in the previous 10 tournaments, while being eliminated in the first round on five occasions.