KUALA LUMPUR: Lee Zii Jia will face a tricky encounter against China's Lu Guang Zu in the Thailand Open quarter-final tomorrow.
The 2022 Thailand Open champion defeated South Korea's Jeon Hyeok Jin 22-20, 21-7 at the Nimibutr Stadium in Bangkok today.
Zii Jia, 26, who is still looking for consistency in his game, hopes to get back the winds in his sail.
"The first set was quite tough, the second set I was more composed and my game play was there," said Zii Jia.
"I think I'm still looking for my best performance, hopefully in the next five tournaments I can get it."
The world No.10 holds the upper hand over No.19 Guang Zu whom he had beaten four times in their last six encounters.
However, their most recent clash saw the 27-year-old Chinese upset the Malaysian in the first round of the Malaysian Open in January.
On top of that, Guang Zu, a member of China's Thomas Cup-winning team, seems to have hit a rich vein of form in Bangkok.
He claimed the scalps of Japanese Koki Watanabe in the second round and Thai Kantaphon Wangcharoen in the first round.