PETALING JAYA: While many may feel Lee Zii Jia (pic) has finally rediscovered his touch at the Arctic Open this week, the Malaysian shuttler believes it is still too early to say he is truly back.
For Zii Jia, the clearer answer may come at the Hylo Open in Germany in two weeks, which he sees as another test of whether he can maintain his current level.
He showed encouraging form throughout his campaign at the Energia Arena in Vantaa this week despite having to start from the qualifying rounds.
More importantly, he showed that he could once again compete with the world’s top players, including close friend Anders Antonsen, the world No. 6, in the semi-finals.
Although Zii Jia went down 11-21, 21-15, 16-21, the performance was still encouraging as it had been some time since he managed to push a top player that hard after struggling for form in recent months.
“Definitely, it’s about confidence. That is something I need the most right now.
“I have about two weeks to rest before the Hylo Open, and that will be another test for me to see whether I’m really back.
“So that’s something I still need to work on and, most importantly, maintain consistently,” said Zii Jia in a post-match interview with Badminton Europe.
Zii Jia was also pleased with what he managed to produce this week after enduring a difficult two-year spell disrupted by a series of injuries.
Before facing Antonsen, Zii Jia had beaten China’s world No. 40 Dong Tian Yao, Taiwan’s world No. 39 Su Li Yang and France’s world No. 2 Christo Popov on his way to the semi-finals.
The former Paris Olympics bronze medallist has endured a difficult spell which saw his world ranking drop to No. 56, while he also struggled to make an impact at lower-tier tournaments such as the Vietnam Open.
