Popov: Rejuvenated Zii Jia played like a top 10

KUALA LUMPUR: Independent shuttler Lee Zii Jia was pinching himself after stunning world No. 2 Christo Popov in straight games to reach his first Arctic Open semi-final in two years on Friday.

Popov became the first French player to reach the world's top two and underlined his class last year by winning the World Tour Finals.

He has also captured three titles this year — the German Open, European Championships and Japan Open.

Injuries have curtailed Zii Jia's progress since his last Super 500 victory in 2024, and he arrived at the Arctic Open on the back of a demoralising second-round defeat to Taiwan's world No. 90 Wu Zhe Ying at the Super 100 Vietnam Open last month.

"It's hard to describe how I feel now. I didn't know that I could beat him in straight games. Especially over these two years, he has improved so much, while for me, I was starting from zero again," said Zii Jia.

"It's a tough match and, honestly, I don't think Popov gave his best today, but I gave everything.

"After a lot of failures this year, a lot of first-round exits, tried again and again, and I finally did it to reach my first Super 500 semi-final in two years."

Despite his struggles, Zii Jia has maintained a perfect 3-0 head-to-head record against Popov, and the French star was equally pleased to see the Malaysian turning a corner in his career.

Popov paid tribute to Zii Jia after his 21-11, 21-16 defeat, saying the Malaysian had played like a top-10 player.

"I am very happy for him to return to a high level, and today, he played like a top-10 player in the world," said Popov.

"Crazy sharpness from Zii Jia today, and probably about 15 shots that fell on the line. He made it very hard for me to get into my rhythm."

Zii Jia will face Denmark's world No. 6 Anders Antonsen for a place in the final later on Saturday.