With his parents cheering him on in Hangzhou, Lee Zii Jia got off to a smashing start in the World Tour Finals (WTF) yesterday.
The Malaysian world No. 8 outplayed Taiwanese veteran Chou Tien Chen 21-13, 21-15 in 39 minutes in a Group A match, Zii Jia hardly allowed Tien Chen to dictate terms.
Though Tien Chen, a cancer survivor, tried to make a comeback and led 10-6 in the second game, the Malaysian thwarted his rival's momentum by drawing level at 10-10 before surging to one-sided victory.
Zii Jia's outgoing coach Wong Tat Meng (who will end his contract on Dec 31), would have been a proud man to witness his clinical performance.
Zii Jia said that he was quite disappointed after failing to qualify for the WTF in 2022 and 2023, and he is aiming to make an impact in Hangzhou this time.
The independent shuttler said the presence of his father, Lee Chee Hin, and mother, Leow Siet Peng, will motivate him to do better this time.
"My parents are here and my entire management and my support team are here to cheer me on. They will provide the positive energy which is going to help me here," said Zii Jia.
"I was quite disappointed in the last two years for not being able to qualify, and I want to achieve something here.
"The top eight players are here and will be aiming for the title and it will be a big challenge for me.
"I didn't expect to win in straight games because I have played Tien Chen many times and we know each other's game very well.
"What is important is self-preparation and today I did pretty well on that."
Zii Jia is in a tough Group A with Denmark's world No. 2 Anders Antonsen and China's Asian Games champion Li Shi Feng where they will battle for two semi-final tickets.
He expects a tough clash against his good friend Antonsen today. "I may have beaten Antonsen in my last two meetings but he has done well after the Paris Olympics and has been very consistent," added Zii Jia.
Although Antonsen leads 5-4 in head-to-head record, Zii Jia defeated him in the quarter-finals of the Malaysian Masters in May and the Paris Olympics.
This promises to be a close clash and Zii Jia will be banking on moral support from his family and his management team to beat the Viking.