As Lee Zii Jia prepares for the upcoming Thailand Masters, it will be good if he heeds the advice of world number one Kento Momota.
Momota, now recovering in Japan after being involved in a car crash in Malaysia on January 12, had some advice for Lee.
"Zii Jia is a good player. He has good skill and physique. He is a good talent, but he doesn’t have the patience.
"He makes a good smash and then goes on to commit a simple mistake after that. He has to improve on that aspect," Momota said after he beat Denmark’s Viktor Axelsen to win the first title on the world tour circuit.
Lee had been in great form at the Malaysia Masters, dumping out two top 10 shuttlers in Anders Antonsen and Shi Yuqi to make the semi-finals.
Momota ended his gallant run with a 21-10, 21-19 victory, but expectations were high on Lee to continue doing well.
The world number 13, however, showed he still needed to work on his consistency after a first-round loss to China’s Huang Yu Xiang at the Indonesia Masters.
Men’s singles coach Hendrawan also concurred with Momota’s sentiments on his charge.
"From what I see in training, he is on the right track. But there is still a lot for him to work on.
"I can see his improvement at the front court, but there is work to be done at the back. We have to be patient with his progress," said Hendrawan.
Lee once again leads the men’s singles charge in Thailand when he takes on Sameer Verma in the opening round.
The 21-year-old beat the Indian in straight games at the Malaysia Masters, and will aim for back-to-back wins against his rally-driven opponent.
Liew Daren is the other shuttler in the main draw and faces another Indian in H.S. Prannoy.
China’s Chen Long and Shi Yuqi are the top seeds in the men’s singles.
Nicolas Anil
Mon Jan 20 2020
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