Zii Jia out of All England in March

The 2021 champion is only ranked 16th on the reserves list after dropping to 103rd in the world rankings.

Lee Zii Jia (left) is ranked well outside the world’s top 32 singles shuttlers who gain automatic entry into the All England tournament, but Leong Jun Hao will feature in the main draw.

PETALING JAYA:

 Former All England champion Lee Zii Jia is set to miss out this year’s tournament in March after being named on the reserves list for the Super 1000 tournament.

The Badminton World Federation (BWF) said today the 2021 All England winner is ranked 16th on the reserves list, likely because of his drop in the world rankings to 103rd.

Only players in the top 32 automatically qualify for the All England, the world’s oldest badminton tournament. Malaysia will be represented in the men’s singles by world No 30 Leong Jun Hao.

Zii Jia, the Paris 2024 Olympic bronze medallist, has struggled with injuries over the past year, returning to competition on Jan 6 following a 111-day layoff.

He was eliminated in the second round of the Indonesia Masters yesterday after losing in the opening rounds of the Malaysia Open two weeks ago and the India Open last week.

He will return to action at the Thailand Masters next week. - FMT