Japan head coach Park Joo-bong is wary of the threat posed by home favourite Lee Zii Jia in the Malaysian Open which starts today at the Axiata Arena.
Independent men’s singles shuttler and world No. 2 Zii Jia is set to face Joo-bong’s charge Kodai Naraoka in an intriguing first-round match.
Naraoka has been one of the most improved players last year and recently reached a career-high No. 7 in the world.
While pleased with Naraoka’s form last year, Joo-bong revealed that his player was not at his best physically and this could work in Zii Jia’s favour.
“Naraoka’s condition is not very good. He sustained some injuries in All-Japan Championships two weeks ago and had to retire in the first round,” said Joo-bong.
“He has recovered but he is not 100%. And facing Zii Jia in this condition is not ideal.”
Despite his misgivings, Joo-bong is expecting an interesting battle between the two players.
“Zii Jia is a very attack-minded player,” he said.
“He has not been very consistent last year but has the advantage of playing at home.
“Naraoka has improved a lot last year but still has much to learn, especially against the top players.
“Playing against Zii Jia for the first time will be a good experience for him.
“I feel that if Naraoka can play like he did in the World Tour Finals in Bangkok last month, then he will have a fighting chance.
“But it’s not easy now with him having so little time to rest and prepare for this tournament,” added Joo-bong.
In the World Tour Finals, Naraoka had given world No. 1 Viktor Axelsen a real scare before going down fighting 23-21, 19-21, 18-21 in the semi-finals.
Meanwhile, Zii Jia is not letting news about Naraoka’s fitness distract him from the task at hand.
“I’m not thinking much about Naraoka’s condition,” he said.
“Regardless of whether he is fully fit or not, I still have to be ready.
“I’m just focusing on my own preparations,” added Zii Jia.
If Zii Jia comes out on top against the Japanese, he could likely face fellow homester Ng Tze Yong.
World No. 25 Tze Yong is expected to get past Ireland’s Nhat Nguyen, who is ranked three rungs lower than him at No. 28.
