Lee Zii Jia delivers winning point in unfamiliar third singles spot as Malaysia beat England 3-2 in Thomas Cup Group B opener.
HORSENS: New role, no problem for professional men’s singles shuttler Lee Zii Jia.
Thrown into an unfamiliar third singles spot for the first time in a Thomas Cup tie, Zii Jia shone as he delivered the winning point to save Malaysia’s blushes with a 3-2 victory over England in their opening Group B tie of the 2026 edition on Sunday.
The world No. 82 produced a composed performance, showing flashes of his old form, to finish the job in style by defeating world No. 233 Nadeem Dalvi 21-13, 21-11, and delighting the crowd inside Forum Horsens.
The tie swung back and forth from the start.
Malaysia’s first singles Justin Hoh gave England the early advantage after going down 19-21, 19-21 to Harry Huang.
National top men’s doubles pair Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik levelled the tie with a controlled 21-19, 21-13 win over Oliver Butler-Samuel Jones.
England regained the lead when world No. 153 Cholan Kayan stunned professional player and world No. 51 Aidil Sholeh Ali Sadikin 21-16, 21-15.
National second doubles pair Man Wei Chong-Tee Kai Wun kept Malaysia alive with a 21-14, 21-14 win over Alex Green-Zach Russ, forcing a decider.
With everything on the line, Zii Jia rose to the occasion to seal Malaysia’s opening victory.
Five-time champions Malaysia will play Finland on Monday (April 27) before wrapping up their Group B campaign against 2014 champions Japan on Wednesday (April 29).
The Thomas Cup Finals 2026, which began yesterday, will run until May 3.
