PETALING JAYA: Former All-England men’s singles champion Lee Zii Jia’s struggles on the international stage continued after he failed to clear the qualifying rounds of the Orleans Masters in France - his first such early exit in years.
The 27-year-old went down 18-21, 14-21 in just 36 minutes to China’s 23-year-old Dong Tianyao in the second qualifying round at the Palais des Sports on Tuesday (March 17).
Earlier, Zii Jia had beaten India’s S. Sankar Muthusamy 21-12, 21-18 in 33 minutes in the opening round.
With the defeat, the world No. 86 failed to make the main draw.
The disappointing result does not augur well for his preparation ahead of the Thomas Cup Finals, which will be held in Horsens, Denmark, from April 24 to May 3.
