Zii Jia returns to action at Japan Open, first round Chinese opponent awaits

Fresh off his modelling duties, Paris Olympics bronze medalist Lee Zii Jia is set to return to competitive action at the upcoming Japan Open which begins on Tuesday with a first round Chinese opponent test.

The Japan Open is a Super 750 event and such is the prestige of this tournament that most of the top class shuttlers are slated to participate, Lee included.

The Malaysian will face off against China’s Weng Hong Yang in the opening round, a player he beat at the Indonesia Open two months ago.

Still brimming with confidence from his Paris exploits, the world number six is expected to overcome Weng who did not feature in Paris.

Should he win, Lee will go on to face either Lei Lan Xi of China or Singapore’s Loh Kean Yew.

On Saturday, the 26-year-old switched the badminton court for the fashion runway after attending his sponsor Victor’s fashion show at a shopping mall, where he posed with his bronze medal.

Leong Jun Hao is the other Malaysian men’s singles shuttler in the main draw in Japan, and he is slated to face home shuttler Takuma Obayashi.

Only Paris Olympics gold medalist Viktor Axelsen has pulled out of the event, confirming he needs more time to recover from an excellent campaign which saw him dominate Kunlavut Vitidsarn in the Olympics final.