PETALING JAYA: A tricky path once again awaits former Asian champion Lee Zii Jia as he faces world No. 38 H.S. Prannoy in the Indonesian Masters, which gets underway tomorrow at the Istora Senayan in Jakarta.
Prannoy is no stranger to Zii Jia, having dashed the Malaysian’s hopes in the battle for a semi-final spot at the Hangzhou Asian Games three years ago. The Indian currently holds the upper hand with two wins from their three meetings since 2021.
However, Zii Jia could take confidence from his recent rise in the world rankings ahead of the clash with the Indian.
The Kedah-born shuttler has climbed to No. 119 in the world, a jump of 25 places from his previous ranking of 144, following his appearances at the Malaysian Open and Indian Open earlier this year.
Zii Jia, who has only recently recovered from a back injury, has set his sights on breaking back into the world’s top 20 by the end of the year.
The Jakarta outing marks Zii Jia’s third tournament of the year, and he is still searching for his first win. His last victory came 14 months ago at the Orleans Masters in France.
Zii Jia will also be joined by Leong Jun Hao and Justin Hoh, with both eager to secure wins in the opening round.
Jun Hao is set to face South Korea’s Jeon Hyeok Jin, who knocked him out of the Orleans Masters last year, while Justin will take on last year’s China Open runners-up Wang Zhengxing.
However, since finishing on the podium in July last year, Zhengxing has struggled to get past the first round, including at the recent Malaysian Open and Indian Open, and this is something Justin will be looking to capitalise on.
In the women’s singles, after Malaysia had no representatives in the first two tournaments of the year, the national camp will once again be represented by K. Letshanaa, who is set to face Taiwan’s Hsu Wen Chi.
Compatriot Wong Ling Ching also has a chance to join Letshanaa in the main draw, but she must first overcome Japan’s Kaoru Sugiyama in the qualifying round.
