Orleans, France – Malaysia’s top shuttler Lee Zii Jia delivered a dominant performance in the 2025 Orleans Masters second round, defeating India’s Kidambi Srikanth 21-11, 21-17 to secure a spot in the quarterfinals.
📺 Watch the Highlights: Lee Zii Jia vs. Kidambi Srikanth (2025 Orleans Masters 2nd Round)
Head-to-Head: Lee Extends Rivalry Lead Over Srikanth
This was the 7th meeting between the two players. Before this match, Lee led their rivalry 4-2, with both players splitting their two encounters in 2024.
Their last clash came at the 2024 Swiss Open, where Srikanth won in straight games. However, with this latest victory, Lee now improves his head-to-head record to 5-2 against the Indian veteran.
Match Recap: How Lee Zii Jia Took Control
🔹 First Game:
- The match started evenly at 2-2, before Srikanth launched an aggressive attack to pull ahead.
- Trailing 6-8, Lee responded with a dominant 5-0 run, entering the mid-game interval leading 11-8.
- After the break, Lee remained in full control, producing another 6-0 streak to take the first game 21-11.
🔹 Second Game:
- Srikanth held a narrow 5-4 lead, but Lee stepped up his pace, scoring another 5 consecutive points to lead 9-5.
- He entered the interval with an 11-6 advantage, then extended his lead to 20-8, earning 12 match points.
- However, Srikanth saved 9 match points, taking advantage of Lee’s late-game errors, before the Malaysian finally closed it out at 21-17.
Next Match: Lee Zii Jia vs. Nguyen Nhat (Ireland) in the Quarterfinals
Up next, Lee will face Ireland’s Nguyen Nhat, who advanced after Japan’s Yushi Tanaka retired at 21-5, 8-2.
Other Malaysian Results: Chen/Thinaah Advance to Women’s Doubles Quarterfinals
✅ Top Malaysian women’s doubles pair Pearly Tan / M. Thinaah fought hard to reach the last eight, defeating Korea’s Jeong Na-Eun / Lee Yeon-Woo 22-20, 11-21, 21-14.
🔹 Match Recap:
- Game 1: Neck-and-neck battle, with Tan/Thinaah edging it 22-20.
- Game 2: Korea responded strongly, dominating 21-11.
- Game 3: The Malaysian duo took control at 3-4, scoring three straight points and maintaining their lead till the end, winning 21-14.
They will now face China’s Jia Yi Fan / Zhang Shu Xian, who defeated Taiwan’s Hsu Yin-Hui / Lin Jhih-Yun 21-7, 21-13.
Major Upset: Malaysia’s Top Mixed Doubles Pair Falls in Second Round
🚨 Chen Tang Jie / Toh Ee Wei (1st seed) crashed out in the second round, losing to Indonesia’s Rehan Naufal Kusharjanto / Gloria Emanuelle Widjaja 8-21, 17-21 in just 33 minutes.
Meanwhile, 6th seeds Hoo Pang Ron / Cheng Su Yin survived a three-game battle, beating Taiwan’s Lu Ming-Che / Hung En-Tzu 16-21, 21-13, 21-16 to keep Malaysia’s mixed doubles hopes alive.
What’s Next?
With Lee Zii Jia pushing for another deep tournament run, can he continue his momentum in the quarterfinals? Stay tuned for the latest badminton news and updates from the Orleans Masters! 🏸🔥
