KUALA LUMPUR: Is Lee Zii Jia finally back in the groove?
On Sunday, the world No. 14 outplayed Ng Tze Yong 21-14, 21-15 to win the Arctic Open Super 500 in Finland, swiftly reminding that he's still the national No. 1 not just by ranking.
If the 25-year-old's first victory in more than 17 months is any indication, then he's probably on his way back to regaining the deadly form that crowned him the Asian champion and Thailand Open winner last year.
Zii Jia showed signs of revival during his quarter-final run at the Hangzhou Asian Games last week. He defeated reigning world champion, Kunlavut Vitidsarn of Thailand, and solidified his comeback by clinching a morale-boosting title on Sunday.
This marks a remarkable turnaround from his struggles and inconsistencies over the past year — a period of time where he was mocked as a "first-round specialist".
It will be interesting to see now if Zii Jia is able to keep the momentum going when he heads to Odense for the Denmark Open, a tournament he came in runner-up last year.
Zii Jia dedicated the win to his loved ones and fans for continuing to have faith in him throughout these tough times.
"First of all, I must thank my family, my team (Team LZJ), and my fans for their undivided support. Even when I was struggling, they never gave up on me," said Zii Jia.
"I want to share this achievement with all of them."
The clash between Zii Jia and Tze Yong was only their second in an official tournament after their previous fiercely contested quarter-final match at the Australian Open.
But that's certainly not the case this time as Zii Jia stayed head and shoulders above Tze Yong from the get go.
"The key to my win today was to stay patient. As I said before, different day, different conditions, and I'm quite happy I adapted well and won," said Zii Jia.
"Tze Yong and I used to be teammates when we were with the national team. We've been training for many years and seeing him developing into a top player, it's really pleasing.
"I believe it's something to be proud of now that we have two men's singles in the top 20. Let's hope we keep this good run going."
Tze Yong, playing in his first World Tour final, as compared to Zii Jia's seventh, admitted he was not able to cope with Zii Jia's attacking prowess.
"He was playing so well, his game was superb. I'm really sad that I could not deliver my best performance when it mattered most," he said.
"He was making all the killer shots pin-point to the baseline. It wasn't that I didn't try to respond, I just could not."