KUALA LUMPUR: Lee Zii Jia expressed both joy and relief after putting an end to a string of disappointing performances on home turf by breezing into the quarter-finals of the Malaysia Masters today.
The fifth-seeded Zii Jia ousted India's Kiran George with a commanding 21-13, 21-18 win in the second round, much to the delight of the packed crowd at the Axiata Arena.
The breakthrough marks Zii Jia's first advancement beyond the last-16 stage after four previous attempts on home turf, including the Malaysia Open.
The semi-final run in the Malaysia Masters of 2020 remained his best outing at home.
Now, the 26-year-old is fired up to progress even further, setting his sights on outshining his close friend and top seed, Anders Antonsen of Denmark, in what promises to be an electrifying clash tomorrow.
"It will definitely be a tough match, moreover he has won the Malaysia Open in January," said Zii Jia.
"It won't be easy to beat him, but I will bring my performance to the court and see what happens.
"To play against Antonsen, I've got to be very patient. He's a top player, it will not be easy to win a point from him.
"We're both professionals, we fight on the court and after that we are friends again."
Antonsen, who dominated his compatriot Magnus Johannesen 21-12, 21-10 in the other last-16 clash of the day, is anticipating a "fun" match with Zii Jia.
As he prepares to temporarily set aside their friendship on the court, Antonsen is bracing himself for a challenging encounter.
Acknowledging Zii Jia's strong support from the home fans, Antonsen believes he will face a formidable opponent and is prepared for a tough battle.
"That could be very, very fun. Obviously, he's coming in with a lot of confidence, and he's probably having the support from the home crowd," said the world No. 4.
"We've had a good relationship for a while. So on match day, you put the friendship aside and you have a good fight on the court and then afterwards, you can become friends again.
"But definitely, tomorrow, me and Zii Jia are no friends. After that we can be again friends outside the court."