Lee Zii Jia has officially withdrawn from the upcoming Japan Open (July 15–20), with his name now listed under the “withdrawn” section on the Badminton World Federation (BWF) website.
Still troubled by ankle injury
Reported by NST, the 27-year-old first sustained the ankle injury during the World Tour Finals in December.
He returned to competition in March at the Orleans Masters, where he reached the quarter-finals, but later suffered a first-round exit at the All England.
Zii Jia later admitted he had returned too early and opted to take a longer break to fully recover.
Comeback delayed again
Initially slated to return at the US Open last month, his comeback was pushed back with the Japan Open as his new target. That, too, is no longer happening.
Slips in rankings
Due to his prolonged absence from the international circuit, Zii Jia has slipped to No. 27 in the world rankings and is no longer Malaysia’s top men’s singles player.
That position now belongs to world No. 25 Leong Jun Hao.
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