Ill Lee Zii Jia beats Jason Teh to reach Hylo Open last 16

Lee Zii Jia overcame a fever and vomiting to reach the Hylo Open last 16 in Germany, beating Singapore’s Jason Teh 21-16, 19-21, 21-17. The independent men’s singles player needed 59 minutes to secure a meeting with Japan’s Kodai Naraoka on Thursday.

World No. 42 Zii Jia had visited hospital the day before the match. He went on to beat the world No. 33 despite being far from his best physically, keeping his Super 500 campaign alive.

Hospital visit before the match

“Actually, yesterday I went to the hospital. I had high fever and vomited as well. However, I just didn’t want to surrender,” Zii Jia told Badminton Europe after his win.

The three-game result drew an emotional response from him. “That’s why you can see my emotion just now. I just overcame something that was very tough for me,” he said.

Zii Jia also revealed on Instagram that he had drawn inspiration from K-pop sensation IU (Lee Ji-eun) and her music while trying to stay in the tournament. His fever had threatened to bring his Hylo Open campaign to an early end.

Confidence from recent results

The win followed Zii Jia’s run to the semi-finals of the Super 500 Arctic Open three weeks ago, a result that had boosted his confidence. Winning a court tussle involving family members at the Kuala Lumpur High Court had also lifted his spirits.

Against Teh, Zii Jia won the opening game before losing the second 19-21, then took the deciding game 21-17 to move into the next round.

Naraoka awaits in the last 16

Zii Jia now faces world No. 9 Naraoka, who finished runner-up at the World Championships in New Delhi in August. Their head-to-head record stands at 3-3, leaving little to separate them on past results.

Thursday’s match presents another physical and mental test for Zii Jia after his illness and the effort required to beat Teh. How quickly he recovers will be important to his chances of producing another fightback at the Hylo Open.