KUALA LUMPUR, Malayisa's professional singles Lee Zii Jia easily reached the quarter-finals stage of the 2024 Arctic Open badminton tournament in Vantaa, Finland, today. In the round of 16 held at Energia Areena, the world's fourth-ranked player had no problem winning over Japan's Yushi Tanaka in 42 minutes. Zii Jia opening display was a positive start when he won the first set 21-11 before continuing his momentum in the second set 21-18 over Tanaka who is ranked 30th in the world. The Kedah-born player, who is also the defending champion from the 2023 edition, booked a meeting in the quarter-finals against either Japanese player Koki Watanabe or Lu Guang Zu of China. In the meantime, the national professional men's doubles pair of Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin Mohd Rumsani also advanced after defeating Japanese pair Kenya Mitsuhashi-Hiroki Okamura 21-16, 21-16. Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin will play either against the tournament's fourth seed from Indonesia Fajar Alfian-Muhammad Rian Ardianto or the Danish twosome o f Rasmus Espersen-Christian Faust Kjær The national mixed doubles pair of Hoo Pang Ron-Cheng Su Yin accompanied the progress to the quarter-finals after defeating the sixth seeds of the tournament from Taiwan, Yang Po Hsuan-Hu Ling Fang 21-19, 21-12. Pang Ron-Su Yin will meet the winner of the match between another national pair, Goh Soon Huat-Shevon Jemie Lai and Thailand's Dechapol Puavaranukroh-Supissara Paewsampran. Source: BERNAMA News Agency