Zii Jia: Playing without a coach is my decision, I have no regrets

Lee Zii Jia took responsibility of his own decision to play without a coach after crashing out in the Malaysia Open first round at the hands of Kodai Naraoka on Wednesday.

Their match lived up to its billing, stretching up to 73 minutes of high-octane badminton, but ultimately it was the Japanese who claimed the 13-21, 21-17, 21-19 victory.

Lee said it was "not the same" to train without a coach, but it will be this way for now.

“This is a decision that I made, and it is something I will have to live with. I have no regrets. There are some areas I need to work on. There isn’t much time before the next tournament, but I will see how I can improve,” said Lee.

The defeat continued Lee’s rotten record at the Malaysia Open, having never gone past the second round.

Last year he crashed out in the second round to Indonesian Shesar Hiren Rhustavito, and lost in the first round of the 2019 edition.

Lee split with Indra Wijaya last November, and informed the Indonesian he wished to go solo when he broke the news.

Liew Daren looks to be his main coach at the moment, but it is uncertain how the arrangement would work out as the veteran is still an active player on the World Tour circuit.

Meanwhile, the 35-year-old withdrew from his second-round clash against Viktor Axelsen after sustaining a calf injury in the first round.

The defending champion now goes on to face Kenta Nishimoto in the quarter-finals.