Lee Zii Jia made a confident start to his Arctic Open campaign, comfortably beating Finland’s Kalle Koljonen 21-12, 21-15 in the qualifying round in Vantaa.
The victory sends the Malaysian into the main draw, where he will face China’s Dong Tianyao in the first round. Zii Jia is looking to rebuild his form after early exits at the Vietnam Open and Korean Masters.
The former world No. 2 has had to take the unusual route through qualifying after his ranking slipped to No. 56. He was also absent from the recent Asian Games after deciding he was not in his best form.
Zii Jia won the Arctic Open in 2023, so the tournament could offer another opportunity to regain momentum on the World Tour.
Can Zii Jia make another deep run in Finland?
