Today’s Thailand Masters quarter-final between Lee Zii Jia and Indonesia’s Alwi Farhan is shaping up to be more than just a battle for a semi-final spot.
For Zii Jia, the encounter carries extra emotional weight as he goes up against a player coached by his former mentor, Indra Wijaya. Indra worked with Zii Jia in 2022, but their partnership ended after nine months following a public dispute that even reached the labour court before both sides eventually settled amicably.
Indra now guides Alwi, who arrives in Bangkok in fine form after winning the Indonesian Masters recently and claiming the SEA Games men’s singles gold last year.
Second seed Alwi cruised into the last eight with a commanding 21-14, 21-10 win over Israel’s Daniil Dubovenko. Zii Jia, meanwhile, had to dig deep to overcome world No. 60 Mithun Manjunath, rallying from a game down to win 11-21, 21-16, 21-12.
“Back in the quarter-finals of a tournament. Another win here at the Thailand Masters 2026,” Team LZJ posted on social media following Zii Jia’s morale-boosting victory.
A win today would see Zii Jia reach a semi-final for the first time since the Paris Olympics in August 2024.
