PETALING JAYA: Team LZJ's work over the past few months appears to be slowly paying off for independent men's singles shuttler Lee Zii Jia.
His coach Liew Daren, when contacted after last week’s Arctic Open, was pleased with what he saw from Zii Jia and felt there had been plenty of improvement.
Zii Jia reached the semi-finals in Vantaa before his run was ended by close friend Anders Antonsen, who went on to win the title.
His progress was also reflected in the latest Badminton World Federation (BWF) rankings, with Zii Jia climbing 14 places to world No. 42.
Daren, however, was reluctant to reveal what was done behind the scenes to get Zii Jia back on track.
"I think... I really can’t tell you. Of course, this time was much better compared to the last two tournaments. There was a lot of improvement," he said when contacted.
The run in Vantaa was arguably Zii Jia’s best showing of the year, although he also reached the Canada Open semi-finals in July.
Zii Jia will next turn his attention to the Hylo Open in Germany from Oct 27-Nov 1.
