Lee Zii Jia exited the Swiss Open first round after a tame 12-21, 14-21 defeat against Singapore’s Jason Teh, as Justin Hoh put in the miles to progress to the next round.

Hoh did well to come from a game down and overcome Frenchman Arnaud Merkle 20-22, 21-16, 21-17 to keep the Malaysian men’s singles interest alive.

Lee, meanwhile, looked completely off the pace after bowing out in 28-minutes.

The current world number 96 had to play in two qualifying matches on Tuesday, and had less than 24 hours rest before facing Teh early Thursday morning.

Fatigue may have played a part in his defeat, as Lee committed numerous unforced errors throughout the contest.

When he wasn’t faulting with mistakes, the Malaysian left himself exposed with half-court returns which provided his Singaporean opponent with easy kills.

This defeat is certainly worrying not only for Lee but also for fans, who are expecting him to turn up in decent form ahead of next month’s Thomas Cup.

Lee will have next week’s Orleans Masters to atone for this early exit, eventhough he once again has to start from the qualifying rounds due to his low ranking.

Hoh, meanwhile, goes on to face Indian shuttler Tharun Mannepalli in the second round.