Zii Jia to use Masters Malaysia as proving ground ahead of 2024 Paris Olympics

KUALA LUMPUR — National singles shuttler Lee Zii Jia (picture) aims to use the 2024 Masters Malaysia that begins today at Axiata Arena, as a proving ground to test his preparations for the upcoming 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, France.

Fresh from his recent Thailand Open win, world number 10 Zii Jia said that he was highly motivated to take on other top-ranked players, including world number one, Viktor Axelsen and Anders Antonsen (world no 4) of Denmark, Li Shi Feng (world no 6) of China to get a good idea of his current performance.

“Currently, I’m in good condition and in high spirits. I don’t want to think too much about the draw or anything, but instead focus on one match at a time,” he said in a statement issued by the tournament’s organiser.

Zii Jia, who is seeded fifth, will play against Zhao Jun Peng in his opening match tomorrow, and is expected to meet second seed Antonsen in the quarter final, barring any surprises in the first two rounds.

Zii Jia’s best achievement in this Super 500 championship was the semi-final stage in 2020, and he was eliminated in the second round last year by Taiwanese shuttler, Lin Chun Yi. — BERNAMA / pic AFP