KUALA LUMPUR, June 12 — National professional men's singles shuttler Lee Zii Jia started his campaign at the 2024 Australia Open badminton championship on a positive note by eliminating India's S. Sankar Muthusamy Subramanian today.
However, the 26-year-old had to struggle to secure his spot in the second round, taking one hour and four minutes to defeat Sankar 21-16, 18-21, 21-10 in the match at Sydney Olympic Park.
Lee is next scheduled to meet compatriot Soong Joo Ven, who overcame Canadian challenger Victor Lai 21-16, 21-16 in another first-round match today.
National women's singles player K. Letshanaa also advanced to the second round after an easy victory over host shuttler Ira Sameer Acharya 21-6, 21-5.
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National badminton and women's singles athlete K. Letshanaa in action during her match against Australia's Ira Sameer Acharya, at the second round of the 2024 Australian Open badminton championship in Sydney Olympic Park, Sydney, Australia, on June 12, 2024. — Picture via FACEBOOK/BADMINTON ASSOCIATION OF MALAYSIA - BAM[/caption]
She will face Taiwan's Pai Yu Po in the second round. The Taiwanese defeated India's Imad Farooqui Samiya 23-21, 13-21, 24-22 in the first round.
Meanwhile, mixed doubles pair Tan Kian Meng-Lai Pei Jing also secured a spot in the second round after brushing aside host pair Ephraim Stephen Sam-Dania Nugroho 21-13, 21-13.
The fifth-seeded pair of the tournament are scheduled to face a tough challenge against the tournament's top seeds from China Jiang Zheng Bang-Wei Ya Xin in the second round.
— Bernama
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(from left to right) National badminton and mixed doubles players Tan Kian Meng and Lai Pei Jing in action during their match against Australia's Ephraim Stephen Sam and Dania Nugroho, at the second round of the 2024 Australian Open badminton championship in Sydney Olympic Park, Sydney, Australia, on June 12, 2024. — Picture via FACEBOOK/BADMINTON ASSOCIATION OF MALAYSIA - BAM[/caption]
