In the men’s singles semi-finals on Sunday, Kunlavut Vitidsarn of Thailand defeated Malaysia’s Lee Zii Jia in straight games, 14-21, 15-21. Jia will now have to settle for the bronze medal match at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
After defeating world champion Shi Yu Qi in straight games in the quarterfinals, the current world champion was just too good for Lee and sealed another commanding victory.
Lee, who was defeated by Vitidsarn in the June Indonesia Open as well, was aware that he would have to exercise patience in order to identify the right moments to attack the Thai.
However, Vitidsarn played a tight game, leaving Lee with few opportunities to score.
He easily won the first game, and he did the same in the second.
Although Lee attempted to up the pace by smashing whenever he got the chance, the Thai resistance was simply too strong.
Lee’s return went wide, and Vitidsarn sank to the court in ecstasy, confirming victory.
The 23-year-old will play either Lakshya Sen or Viktor Axelsen in the men’s singles championship match.
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