PETALING JAYA: Former international Rashid Sidek expects the Japan Open men’s singles to be a keenly contested affair as players who did not do well at the World Championships, including Lee Zii Jia, will be aiming for some consolation in Osaka.
The competition has been left open after the withdrawal of newly crowned world champion Viktor Axelsen of Denmark and this will give the likes of World Championships runner-up Kunlavut Vitidsarn of Thailand, Taiwan’s Chou Tien-chen, Indonesians Jonatan Christie and Anthony Ginting as well as China’s Shi Yuqi, India’s Lakshya Sen and Zii Jia a shot at the title.