PETALING JAYA: Can professional singles shuttler Lee Zii Jia pour cold water on the hot run of Indonesian youngster Moh Zaki Ubaidillah?
The 28-year-old Zii Jia will get the chance to do so when he faces the reigning Australian Open champion in the first round of the Macau Open today.
Zii Jia and the 18-year-old Zaki are drawn against each other in what is shaping up to be the match of the day, with fans hoping the Malaysian can get back on his feet.
The former All England champion Zii Jia suffered a first-round exit at the Australian Open after coming through two qualifying matches.
He is currently ranked No. 64 in the world and is only able to compete in lower-tier tournaments. He needs to break into the world’s top 32 to qualify for Super 750 tournaments and above.
The other Malaysian men’s singles players competing in the Macau Open are Aidil Sholeh Ali Sadikin, Eogene Ewe and Justin Hoh.
Aidil will take on top seed Angus Ng Ka Long of Hong Kong, while Eogene and Justin will face Hong Kong’s Jason Gunawan and second seed Jason Teh of Singapore respectively.
