PETALING JAYA: The draw has changed, but the path remains challenging for seasoned campaigner Lee Zii Jia in the Macau Open, which begins on Tuesday (June 16).
Professional shuttler Zii Jia will face 21-year-old Prahdiska Bagas in the first round and will be eager to make amends after his opening-round defeat at last week’s Australian Open in Sydney.
The 28-year-old was initially slated to take on Australian Open semi-finalist Moh Zaki Ubaidillah, but the 18-year-old Indonesian withdrew from the tournament, resulting in several players being promoted from the qualifying rounds.
Prahdiska, the seventh seed, still poses a tough challenge for Zii Jia, although fans will be hoping the Malaysian can get his campaign back on track.
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.
Some of the other Malaysian men’s singles players competing in the Macau Open are Aidil Sholeh Ali Sadikin, Eogene Ewe, Justin Hoh and Cheam June Wei.
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 Thailand's Kantaphon Wangcharoen respectively
Professionals June Wei meets Pui Pang Fong of Macau while Jacky Kok faces second seed Jason Teh of Singapore in their opening matches.
In the women's singles, Malaysia will be represented by Goh Jin Wei and S. Kisona.
