PETALING JAYA: Former world No. 2 men’s singles shuttler Lee Zii Jia (pic) has confirmed he will compete in the World Championships in Paris from Aug 25-31.
In fact, he is hard at work to be in good form for the world meet.
This puts to rest concerns among badminton fans that the former Asian champion might pull out before the Aug 12 deadline.
This is because although he received an invitation from the Badminton World Federation (BWF) to compete in the tournament, his confirmation came before the Japan and China Opens, which took place last month, where he withdrew from both events at the last minute.
Speaking to The Star, a source close to Zii Jia said that he has been recovering well from a previous injury and is currently undergoing intensive preparations for the tournament.
“He will compete in the World Championships and has been training hard with his coach Yeoh Kay Bin. As for his foot injury, it has improved compared to before,” said the source when contacted.
However, no high expectations have been placed on the player as this will be his first tournament since his last competitive outing five months ago.
Zii Jia had been struggling with a right ankle ligament injury sustained during the World Tour Finals in Hangzhou last December.
He attempted a return in March, but the injury worsened after he played at the Orleans Masters and the All-England – the only two tournaments he has competed in this year.
Zii Jia has around three weeks left to step up his preparations, with the tournament draw scheduled for next Wednesday.
Although he currently holds a protected ranking from the BWF, his current world ranking of No. 35 could see him facing a tough opponent as early as the first round.
Since making his World Championships debut in 2019 in Basel, Zii Jia has yet to progress beyond the quarter-finals.
In the previous edition in Copenhagen in 2023, he was knocked out in the third round by close friend Anders Antonsen.
Besides Zii Jia, fellow men’s singles shuttler Leong Jun Hao will also compete in Paris, making his debut at the prestigious tournament.
