Zii Jia, fresh from a short break, is set to play Kunlavut again

PETALING JAYA: Lee Zii Jia will enter the Japan Open with one intention – to exact swift revenge over Thailand’s Kunlavut Vitidsarn.

A clash in the quarter-finals between Zii Jia and Kunlavut is on the cards in the tournament starting on Tuesday in Yokohama.

The defeat is still clear in Zii Jia’s mind, having lost to the Thai just two weeks ago in the semi-finals of the Paris Olympics.

He found the Thai a tough nut to crack and went down 14-21, 15-21 but was able to put the disappointment behind him to win bronze after beating India’s Lakshya Sen while Kunlavut became the first Thai shuttler to win a medal in the Olympics when he captured silver after losing to Denmark’s Viktor Axelsen in the final.