Lee Zii Jia is looking forward to doing battle with his former team-mate Loh Kean Yew at the upcoming Fuzhou China Open in November and getting back to winning ways after a disappointing European tour.
The Malaysian men’s singles was back home training at the national centre in Bukit Kiara after he suffered two opening round defeats to Chen Long and Anthony Ginting at the recent Denmark Open and French Open respectively.
Both the early exits also put him out of automatic qualification to the World Tour Finals in December, after dropping from seventh to ninth, meaning he needs to do well at the upcoming Super 750 tournament if he wants to make the cut.
It is easier said than done, as a potential showdown against world number one Kento Momota beckons in the second round.
The Japanese was on a 23-match winning run to claim the World Championships, China Open, Korea Open and Denmark Open before his streak was ended by Ginting at the French Open.
But first, a good outing in China for Lee will begin with victory over Loh in the opening round.
"I am looking forward to playing him. We are both potential medalists at the SEA Games [in November], and this encounter should make it exciting.
"We also played each other a lot during our younger days," said Lee.
Malaysian-born shuttler Loh moved to Singapore when he was 13 after receiving a Foreign Sports Scholarship from the Singapore Badminton Association.
The 22-year-old made headlines in January when he came through qualifiers to upset Chinese ace Lin Dan and clinch the Thailand Masters.
Since entering the senior level, Lee and Loh only met each other once at the Smiling Fish International Challenge in 2016, which Lee won in straight games.
The 21-year-old also conceded he has not gelled with men’s singles coach Hendrawan since the Indonesian began overseeing his development in July.
"I have not had much time with [Hendrawan]. There are so many back-to-back tournaments and it has been difficult to see an impact.
"It’s not easy because I have had many coaches since young, but I believe in time, we will find the right combination," he said.
Nicolas Anil
Tue Oct 29 2019
Piala Thomas: Saya seperti orang lain dalam set kedua -- Lee Zii Jia
Perseorangan lelaki utama negara, Lee Zii Jia, mengakui masih banyak yang perlu diperbaiki daripada segi corak permainannya.
Terkini Piala Thomas: Lee Zii Jia akur kehebatan Shi Yuqi (MAS 0 CHN 1)
Perseorangan lelaki utama negara, Lee Zii Jia, gagal membutirkan mata pertama negara apabila tewas secara set langsung kepada pemain nombor dua dunia dari China, Shi Yuqi, dalam perlawanan separuh akhir Piala Thomas di Chengdu sebentar tadi.
Piala Thomas: Lee Zii Jia beri mata pertama
Pemain perseorangan nombor satu negara, Lee Zii Jia, menyumbangkan mata pertama dalam perlawanan suku akhir Piala Thomas menentang pemain perseorangan dari Jepun, Kenta Nishimoto di Chengdu, China sebentar tadi.
Lee Zii Jia punyai rekod cemerlang berdepan Kenta Nishimoto
Pemain perseorangan lelaki negara, Lee Zii Jia, dijangkakan bakal turun berdepan wakil perseorangan Jepun, Kenta Nishimoto, dalam saingan suku akhir Piala Thomas di Pusat Sukan High-Tech Zone Chengdu, China petang ini.
Pemain wanita Amerika Syarikat terkesima lihat Lee Zii Jia
Pemain badminton Amerika Syarikat, Esther Shi, terkesima memandang pemain perseorangan lelaki negara Lee Zii Jia yang sedang berjalan ke arah kawasan rehat di Pusat Sukan High-Tech Zone Chengdu, China.
Piala Thomas: Aksi dramatik Zii Jia-Axelsen tarik perhatian BWF
Aksi peringkat Kumpulan D antara Malaysia dan Denmark telah menyajikan perlawanan yang cukup menarik.
Piala Thomas: Tiada jaminan menang jumpa Viktor Axelsen -- Lee Zii Jia
Perseorangan nombor satu negara, Lee Zii Jia, menyedari bahawa banyak penambahbaikan yang perlu diperbaiki selepas tidak kesampaian menyumbangkan mata pertama dalam penutup Kumpulan D Piala Thomas apabila tewas kepada pemain nombor satu dunia, Viktor Axelsen, sebentar tadi.
Piala Thomas: Zii Jia jadikan aksi bertemu Viktor Axelsen penanda aras
Pemain perseorangan lelaki negara, Lee Zii Jia, cemerlang menyumbangkan mata dalam perlawanan menentang Algeria dengan menewaskan pemain di ranking 222 dunia, Adel Hamek, dalam saingan Piala Thomas 2024, hari ini.
Piala Thomas: Zii Jia tak sempat berpeluh sumbang mata pertama
Pemain perseorangan nombor satu negara, Lee Zii Jia, menyumbangkan mata pertama dalam perlawanan kedua selepas beraksi dengan baik menewaskan wakil perseorangan Algeria, Adel Hamek, dalam aksi peringkat kumpulan saingan Piala Thomas di Chengdu, China sebentar tadi.
Badminton Masters Malaysia: Lee Zii Jia pilihan ke-8 kejohanan
Lee Zii Jia bakal menjadi pemain pilihan kelapan kejohanan Badminton Masters Malaysia dalam kategori perseorangan lelaki berdasarkan senarai penerimaan.
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