Lee Zii Jia Still in the Race for World Tour Finals Despite Setback

dd yy October 16, 2024 5 0

Men’s singles badminton player Lee Zii Jia (pictured) still has a chance to qualify for the prestigious World Tour Finals, scheduled from December 11 to 15 in Hangzhou, despite missing the Denmark Open due to an ankle injury.

Recently, Lee Zii Jia suffered a major blow when he injured his ankle during his quarterfinal loss to world No. 13 Koki Watanabe of Japan at the Arctic Open in Vantaa, Finland.

The 26-year-old player couldn’t shake off the injury and had to withdraw from the Denmark Open in Odense yesterday.

Team LZJ said in a statement, “After arriving in Odense on Sunday, we still hoped and planned for Lee Zii Jia to participate in the Denmark Open despite his ankle injury sustained in the Arctic Open quarterfinal.”

“Lee appeared on court today (yesterday), but discomfort in his ankle prevented him from performing at match-level intensity.

“After further consideration, I am deeply saddened to announce my withdrawal from the Denmark Open.”

This is a double setback for Lee Zii Jia, as he also dropped three places in the latest world rankings, from fourth to seventh.
However, the independent player still has a chance to qualify for the World Tour Finals, as he moved up one spot to fifth in the Hangzhou circuit rankings.

To qualify, Lee Zii Jia must maintain a top-eight position and hopes to regain form while competing in the Japan Masters (November 12–17) and China Masters (November 19–24).

Meanwhile, Leong Jun Hao, currently ranked No. 2 in Malaysia, fell to world No. 30 after losing to Hong Kong’s world No. 15 Lee Cheuk Yiu in the first round of the Arctic Open.

Jun Hao faces a tough task today in the first round of the Denmark Open, where he will meet world No. 3 Jonatan Christie of Indonesia.

With Lee Zii Jia out, Jun Hao remains the sole Malaysian representative in the men’s singles at the Odense event.