#Aaron Chia-Wooi Yik also reach the last eight in men’s doubles
Lee Zii Jia kept Malaysia’s flag flying in the men’s singles when he stormed into the All-England quarter-finals with a smashing 21-10, 21-16 win over China’s Lu Guangzu in 36 minutes in a second-round match at Arena Birmingham on Thursday.
The 21-year-old Malaysian, making his All England debut, will face China’s reigning Olympic champion Chen Long who beat compatriot and two-time Olympic champion Lin Dan 21-17, 21-8 in his second-round match.
Chen Long and Zii Jia met three times last year with the Chinese ace holding a 2-1 lead, defeating Zii Jia in the Denmark Open and the Victor China Open. Zii Jia’s win over Chen Long came in the Indonesia Open.
The win over Guangzu was Zii Jia’s second in as many meetings, having beaten him 12-21, 21-14, 21-15 in the World Championships in Basel, Switzerland last year.
Last year’s runners-up Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik stayed alive in the men’s doubles after a close-fought first game but did enough to prevail 24-22, 21-17 against Lu Ching Yao-Yang Po Han of Chinese Taipei.
The eighth-seeded Malaysians will face world No 1 and top seeds Marcus Fernaldi Gideon-Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo of Indonesia for a place in the last four. The Minions outplayed China’s Ou Xuan Yi-Zhang Nan 21-9, 21-15 in their second-round match.
Professional pair Ong Yew Sin-Teo Ee Yi crashed out of the tournament with a 19-21, 16-21 defeat to No 7 seeds Lee Yang-Wang Chi-Lin of Chinese Taipei in a 40-minute match.
Malaysia’s challenge in the mixed doubles came to an end with the defeat of Tan Kian Meng-Lai Pei Jing who lost to Indonesian fifth seeds Praveen Jordan-Melati Daeva Oktavianti 19-21, 21-18, 10-21.
Both the women’s doubles pair exited the tournament. China’s Du Yue-Li Yin Hui outplayed Chow Mei Kuan-Lee Men Yean 10-21, 16-21 while Koreans Chang Ye Na-Kim Hye Rin prevailed in a three-game 21-23, 21-17, 21-14 win over Vivian Hoo-Yap Cheng Wen after an 83-minute battle. RIZAL ABDULLAHÂ
