KUALA LUMPUR: It was not the same Lee Zii Jia on Sunday as the world No. 7 went down tamely to Thailand's reigning world champion Kunlavut Vitidsarn in the Paris Olympic men's singles semi-finals, effectively ending Malaysia's gold medal bid in badminton.
Zii Jia could not reproduce his form against an effective Kunlavut, who played near-perfect badminton, losing 21-14, 21-15 in 50 minutes.
However, it is not the end of the world for Zii Jia, as he will be back on the court at Porte de la Chapelle Arena to fight for the bronze medal.
Zii Jia will face world No. 2 Viktor Axelsen or India's Lakshya Sen in the fight for bronze on Monday.