KUALA LUMPUR – Malaysia’s men’s singles star, Lee Zii Jia, faced a harsh reality check in the first round of the Super 1000 China Open today.
The Paris Olympics bronze medallist, who rose to world number three last week, appeared completely off his game as he suffered a heavy 21-15, 21-2 defeat at the hands of Japan’s Koki Watanabe at the Olympic Sports Centre Gymnasium in Changzhou.
Koki will now move on to face Wang Tzu Wei of Chinese Taipei in the next round.
Speaking to the Badminton World Federation (BWF) in his post-match interview, Kedah-born Zii Jia revealed that he has been battling injuries since the Paris Games.
“My condition isn’t back to its best yet. There’s still a lot I need to do to find my top form. I haven’t shared this with the media before, but I’ve been dealing with a lot of unusual injuries, which have prevented me from fully recovering.
“As you could see, I was leading a bit in the first game, but I couldn’t close it out,” said the 26-year-old.
He further explained that his body feels strained whenever he intensifies his training sessions.
“It’s strange. When I train intensely, my whole body feels sore – my elbows, knees, and even my back stiffen up. I need to sort this out because I have to get back to my best to qualify for the World Tour Finals,” added Zii Jia, who will return to Malaysia before heading to Vantaa, Finland, to defend his Arctic Open title from October 8 to 13.
For the record, Zii Jia has now suffered two consecutive first-round exits since the Paris Olympics.
Last month, he was knocked out in the opening round of the Super 750 Japan Open.
Meanwhile, in the women’s singles first round, Goh Jin Wei also struggled, losing 21-9, 12-21, 21-8 to Chinese Taipei’s Sung Shuo Yun. — September 17, 2024