KUALA LUMPUR: National men’s singles shuttler Lee Zii Jia suffered an early exit from the All England Championship after losing to unseeded Hong Kong player Angus Ng Ka Long in the first round early today (Mar 12).
In the match held at Utilita Arena in Birmingham, seventh-seed Zii Jia got off to a great start, claiming the first set 21-19.
However, he was unable to maintain his momentum, allowing Ka Long to fight back and secure a 21-16, 21-12 victory in a match that lasted over an hour.
The Paris 2024 Olympic bronze medallist admitted that his movements were restricted as he had yet to fully recover from an ankle injury sustained last December.
“I thought I was ready for this Europe tour because I had about two weeks of proper training before coming here. (But) these injuries actually take much longer (to heal) than I expected.
“Maybe I was too rushed to come back. Things have happened, so I have to accept it,” Zii Jia said in an audio clip shared by the Badminton World Federation.
Meanwhile, in the men’s doubles category, two Malaysian pairs — Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik and Ong Yew Sin-Teo Ee Yi — also crashed out in the first round after losing to their respective opponents.
Aaron-Wooi Yik suffered a surprise defeat to Denmark’s Rasmus Kjaer-Frederik Sogaard 16-21, 21-16, 18-21, while Yew Sin-Ee Yi fell to England’s Ben Lane-Sean Vendy 18-21, 19-21. –BERNAMA
