KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia's No. 1 men's singles Lee Zii Jia got his Thomas Cup campaign off to a flying start today.
Despite the pressure of being the first singles player, the 26-year-old independent gave his teammates a much needed boost when he downed Hong Kong's world No. 15 Lee Cheuk Yiu 21-18, 21-18 at the Hi Tech Zone Sports Centre in Chengdu, China.
The win is only Zii Jia's second over the Hong Kong ace in four meetings.
Earlier, Zii Jia admitted that he will need to be on top of his game in the world team championships, as the Malaysian squad's singles department is understrength without world No. 18 Ng Tze Yong, who has to undergo lower back surgery.
Malaysia will still have to play minnows Algeria and European champions Denmark in Group D.
Only the top two teams will reach the quarter-finals.