NATIONAL top men’s singles shuttler, Lee Zii Jia, has climbed back into the world’s top five, currently ranked fourth, ahead of China’s Li Shifeng and Denmark’s Anders Antonsen.
Despite a first-round exit at the Japan Open to France’s Alex Lanier, who went on to win the tournament, Zii Jia, 26, still ascended two spots, moving from No. 6 to No. 4 in the latest rankings.
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His rise comes on the back of a strong start to the year, having clinched titles at the Thailand and Australian Opens, alongside a bronze medal finish at the Paris Olympics.
His leap in the rankings was also helped by ranking point losses from Denmark’s Anders Antonsen and Thailand’s Kunlavut Vitidsarn.
He is now close to his career-best ranking of No. 2, which he last held in 2022.