Unwell Zii Jia suffers another early exit on home turf

 

Lee Zii Jia was reportedly unwell during his men’s singles match today against Taiwan’s Lin Chun-Yi. (AP pic)

KUALA LUMPUR: Is the Axiata Arena the ‘haunted ground’ for Lee Zii Jia, the darling of local badminton fans?

There certainly seems to be an element of truth as the national men’s singles professional ace suffered yet another early round exit at the venue, going down to Taiwan’s Lin Chun-Yi 19-21, 21-16, 15-21 in the second round of the tournament here today.

Despite feeling unwell during the game, Zii Jia pushed through to complete the game that lasted one hour and 27 minutes.

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Zii Jia then skipped the interview at the mixed zone, which has been the routine for every player post-match, to seek medical treatment.

His sister cum manager, Lee Zii Yii, who had to replace Zii Jia for the interview session at the mixed zone, confirmed that the current world No 10 felt dizzy and that had taken a toll on his performance today.

“Now as everyone could see, Zii Jia was dizzy, he could not even stand firm. So sorry he couldn’t go through the interview,” Zii Yii said.

Zii Yii admitted that the fourth seed of the tournament was quite tired from travelling back and forth after competing in the Sudirman Cup in Suzhou, China last week.

She also said that Zii Jia’s current condition was not severe and he had taken medication to overcome his dizziness.

Today’s result means Zii Jia has suffered three early round exits in a row here. He succumbed to Indonesia’s Shesar Hiren Rhustavito 19-21, 21-19, 16-21 in the second round of the Malaysia Open 2022.

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Last January, Zii Jia shockingly crashed out 21-13, 17-21, 19-21 in the opening round of the Malaysia Open 2023 at the hands of Japan’s rising star Kodai Naraoka. - FMT