PETALING JAYA: Professional men’s singles shuttler Lee Zii Jia knew he was unfit but still made an attempt to play in the Japan Open.
It, however, backfired as the 26-year-old put up a lethargic performance and went down 18-21, 13-21 to youngster Alex Lanier of France in the opening round in Yokohama.
Zii Jia, who won the bronze medal at the Paris Olympic Games two weeks ago, lost 18-21, 13-21 to the 19-year-old in 40 minutes.
The Japan Open was Zii Jia’s first tournament since winning a bronze medal after beating Lakshya Sen of India in Paris.
Since his return, he has been feted by many and had kept himself busy with off-court activities.
Yesterday, he said he was not in his best condition.
“I have been feeling physically weak for the past few days since coming back from the Olympic Games outing but skipping the tournament was not part of the plan,” said Zii Jia in his social media posting.
“I played because I felt that it would not harm me. I tried my best and fought through the match but my body didn’t allow me to perform to the best of my abilities.
“I’m looking forward to a good rest and recovery before I play in the next tournament,” added Zii Jia, who is likely to play in the Korean Open from Aug 27-Sept 1.
Another independent player Goh Jin Wei also bowed out after losing 18-21, 10-21 to China’s Wang Zhi Yi in the women’s singles first round match.
It was a mixed day for the men’s doubles as Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin Rumsani and Choong Hon Jian-Mohd Haikal Nazri cleared their first round hurdles but Low Hang Yee-Ng Eng Cheong failed to join them.
Sze Fei-Izzuddin, who will turn professionals soon, beat Kazuki Shibata-Naoki Yamada of Japan 21-13, 21-13 to set up a match against fourth seeds Fajar Alfian-Rian Ardianto in the second round.
Hon Jian-Haikal were taken to the distance before beating Bjarne Geiss-Jan Colin Voelker of Germany 11-21, 21-11, 21-16. They will play Liu Kuang-heng-Yang Po-han of Taiwan next.
The Taiwanese pair defeated Hang Yee-Eng Cheong 21-13, 21-17.
In the mixed doubles, Tan Kian Meng-Lai Pei Jeng are through to the next round after battling their way to an 18-21, 21-17, 21-19 win over Chiu Hsiang-chieh-Lin Jhih-yun of Taiwan.
