KUALA LUMPUR: Despite a strong spirited display in the opening game, Lee Zii Jia still fell short in his bid to win Malaysia a point in the Thomas Cup semi-finals against China in Chengdu on Saturday.
Taking to court as the first singles player, world No. 10 Zii Jia succumbed 21-19, 21-5 to China's world No. 2 Shi Yu Qi.
The defeat is Zii Jia's fifth to the Chinese ace in six meetings.
For the record, this is Malaysia's first semi-final appearance in eight years since the 2016 Thomas Cup in Kunshan.
The last time Malaysia reached the final was 10 years ago, while the last time they won the trophy was 32 years ago.
