PETALING JAYA: Men’s singles ace Lee Zii Jia suffered a major setback after missing out on the All-England Championships in Birmingham from March 3–8, ending his run in the prestigious Super 1000 event for the first time since his 2020 debut.
Listed 16th on the reserves list released by the Badminton World Federation, the 2021 champion – who stunned Viktor Axelsen to lift the title – was undone by a rankings slide after an injury-ravaged 2025 limited him to just five tournaments.
Zii Jia, now world No. 103, had relied on a protected ranking of No. 9 to enter recent top-tier events, but that safety net expires before the All-England, leaving him needing a return to the top 32 to regain regular access to elite tournaments.
For now, the 2024 Paris Olympics bronze medallist will still get to play in the Super 300 Thailand Masters which starts next Tuesday in Bangkok and German Open from Feb 24-March 1 in Mulheim.
Meanwhile, Zii Jia is not the only former champion to miss out on the All-England as Axelsen, who also triumphed in 2022, has withdrawn from the competition.
The two-time Olympic and world champion has been struggling with fitness issues and is yet to make his competitive return this year. For Malaysia, world No. 30 Leong Jun Hao will be the sole representative in the men’s singles.
