Lee Zii Jia will go up against Indonesian young star Alwi Farhan after the Malaysian came from behind to secure victory and confirm his berth at the Thailand Masters quarter-finals on Thursday.
Lee beat India’s Mithun Manjunath 11-21, 21-16, 21-12 to book his first last eight appearance in almost a year.
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The last time the 27-year-old advanced this far was at last year’s Orleans Masters.
After a slow start on Thursday which saw him concede the opening game, the Paris Olympics bronze medalists showed resolve to bounce back and win the next two games against a frustrated Manjunath.
Lee will next face his biggest test this year when he takes on Farhan on Friday.
The Indonesian starlet, 20, won last week’s Indonesia Masters in front of his home fans by thrashing his Thai opponent in straight games in the final.
Farhan has brought that form to Bangkok and cleared both his opening two games in straight games.
The win over Manjunath indicates Lee's overall game is improving, but the world number 79 will need to be more clinical and reduce the unforced errors if he is to stand a chance of beating Farhan.
