Zii Jia suffers shock first round exit in China Open

PETALING JAYA: Men's singles shuttler Lee Zii Jia suffered a premature exit in the China Open when he went down to Japan's Koki Watanabe in the first round.

World No. 3 Zii Jia lost 15-21, 2-21 to world No. 14 Watanabe in just 29 minutes at the Olympic Sports Center Gymnasium in Changzhou, China on Tuesday (Sept 17).

The 26-year-old independent player captured bronze in the Paris Olympics and was making his first competitive appearance since losing in the opening round of the Japan Open last month.

Zii Jia will be hoping to bounce back when he competes next in the Arctic Open from Oct 8-13 in Finland.