Lee Zii Jia delivered a scintilating all-round display to dispose of Kento Momota 21-7, 13-21, 21-11 and check into the All England Open semi-finals.
In doing so, the defending champion delivered a deja vu defeat to the Japanese after beating him at the same stage of this tournament exactly one year to the date last year.
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The Malaysian started like a man on fire in the opening game with a ferocious display that caught Momota completely off guard.
A 15-1 lead was sealed 21-7 in 14 minutes, as Lee looked completely in control.
In the second game, Lee led 9-3, but unforced errors started creeping in and Momota capitalised on that lapse in concentration to level the scores with a 21-13 victory.
The third game was tooth and nail until 10-10, before Lee secured the slim advantage at the interval.
That was the impetus he needed to throw the kitchen sink at his opponent, who could not ward off the wave of continuous attacks to eventually surrender.
Reaksi Lee Zii jia mengenai perlawanan menentang pilihan kedua kejohanan,Kento Momota
— wan muiz (@muiz_aziz07) March 18, 2022
Zii jia pun terkejut dia boleh menang dengan senang 1st set and dia cakap thank you kepada fans yang sentiasa sokong dia!!
Next Semifinal!@ASTROARENA pic.twitter.com/qYEWI0D0Qy
Lee now facse India's Lakhsya Sen for a place in the final.
The men's singles ace is the only Malaysian left at the tournament, after Pearly Tan-M. Thinaah lost in a three-game battle 21-15, 17-21, 9-21 against South Korea's Jeong Na Eun-Kim Hye Jeong.
Tan Kian Meng-Lai Pei Jing were the last Malaysians in action of the day, and they too exited after a 15-21, 15-21 defeat against second seeds Zheng Si Wei-Huang Qiang.
