Hard at work: Lee Zii Jia training at the Axiata Arena in Bukit Jalil ahead of the Malaysian Open. — LOW BOON TAT/The Star
KUALA LUMPUR: Lee Zii Jia is feeling the pressure, and it’s understandable.
As Malaysia’s top men’s singles shuttler, he is seeking to end his disappointing record in the Malaysian Open which gets under way tomorrow at the Axiata Arena in Bukit Jalil.
Zii Jia has never progressed beyond the early rounds in the home Open since making his debut in 2019.
“No one wants to do badly at home,” said Zii Jia after a training session at the Axiata Arena yesterday.
“But I think it comes down to how well I can handle the pressure (of playing at home).
“I’m not thinking about my past record here but I hope to do better this time.
“I have been training hard under coach (Wong) Tat Meng for a month to prepare for this season and hopefully I can translate this into positive results,” added Zii Jia.
The 25-year-old independent player’s best result on home soil came in the Malaysian Masters in 2020 where he made it into the semi-finals before losing to Japan’s former two-time world champion Kento Momota.
Zii Jia has been undergoing weekly fun-filled training sessions at the beach as part of his preparation for the new year.
“These sessions on the beach once a week are quite new for me. It’s really a fun way to train,” said Zii Jia.
“I have felt lighter on court after the sessions and hopefully, it will help me in tournaments.”
World No. 11 Zii Jia is out to perform more consistently this year after suffering early round exits in 15 out of his 22 individual tournaments in 2023.
The Kedahan showed some improvement towards the later part of the year when he captured the Arctic Open in Finland and finished runner-up in the Denmark Open in Odense in October.
“My performances towards the end of the year is something positive that I can bring into the new year,” said Zii jia.
“I want to produce more consistent results this year,” said Zii Jia.
“I also hope to qualify for the Paris Olympics and get a good seeding as well.”
Zii Jia needs to maintain his ranking in the top 16 until the end of the OIympic qualifying period in April to make the cut.
At the Axiata Arena, Zii Jia will open his campaign against China’s world No. 19 Lu Guangzu.
Zii Jia holds a clear advantage based on the head-to-head records, having come out on top against Guangzu four times in their past five encounters.
Another victory could see him go up against Indonesia’s world No. 4 Anthony Ginting in the second round.
