KUALA LUMPUR – Badminton fans are set for yet another round of disappointment after Lee Zii Jia announced his withdrawal from the Malaysia Masters which will begin tomorrow (July 5).
The 24-year-old informed his sponsors of this decision after his shock defeat to Indonesia’s Anthony Sinisuka Ginting at the second round of the Malaysia Open, reported New Straits Times.
Zii Jia himself later confirmed this by posting an Instagram story of him returning to his hometown in Alor Setar.
Aside from the Malaysia Masters, Zii Jia will also not be participating in the Singapore Open (Jul 12-17) and the Birmingham Commonwealth Games (Jul 29- Aug 8), which triggered dissatisfaction among fans.
With more time to train, the World No.5 is set to make a comeback at the World Championships in Tokyo from Aug 22-28.
Other big names to miss out as well
Denmark’s Viktor Axelson, who bagged gold after crushing Japan’s Kento Momota at the Malaysia Open finals yesterday, will also not be present for the Malaysia Masters.
Other prominent players set to sit out include Spain’s Carolina Marín, Denmark’s Anders Antonsen and Jan Ø. Jørgensen, and Malaysia’s Ong Yew Sin who recently contracted Covid-19.
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Cover image via New Straits Times
