PETALING JAYA: Men's singles shuttler Lee Zii Jia returned to winning ways by beating Frenchman Christo Popov to reach the second round of the Arctic Open.

World No. 4 Zii Jia, who captured the title last year, stayed steady throughout the match to come away with a 21-15, 21-11 win over world No. 27 Popov in 43 minutes at the Energia Arena in Vantaa, Finland on Wednesday (Oct 9).