FOR professional men's singles shuttler Lee Zii Jia, the 21-13, 21-19 victory over Japan's Koki Watanabe in the last Group B match at the Thomas Cup Finals 2026 was more than just a consolation win.
Zii Jia said the result was a statement that his confidence is back at just the right time, despite Malaysia losing 2-3 to the 2014 champions and finishing as Group B runners-up in Forum Horsens.
After a frustrating spell marred by injuries since 2024, the world No. 82 player was glad that he finally broke through against a top-20 opponent, offering a timely lift ahead of the Thomas Cup Finals knockout stage.
"This is one of my best games in a while, I think the timing is perfect and gives me the confidence, especially with no more injuries. I really appreciate it.
"So far, what I am doing appears right, including the momentum apart from the growing confidence," he told Bernama.
The last time Zii Jia beat a top 20 player was against world No. 3 Anders Antonsen of Denmark, 21-14, 21-19, in the World Tour Finals 2024 in Hangzhou, China.
The 28-year-old has been plagued by injuries since hurting his ankle at the World Tour Finals 2024, before returning to action at the Orleans Masters and All England 2025.
With the ankle injury still giving him problems, Zii Jia had no choice but to take another break before returning to competitive action at the World Championships in Paris last August.
In September, he featured in the Hong Kong Open before withdrawing from the first round of the China Masters due to a back injury.
He then decided to take a complete rest and to focus on full recovery before returning to action in the Malaysia Open 2026 in January.
In the meantime, national men's doubles player Soh Wooi Yik admitted that too many unforced errors proved costly when partnering professional shuttler Nur Izzuddin Rumsani, ultimately denying them a chance to force a decider in the fourth match.
"We gave our best, but we were not patient enough to close out the match, and that proved costly to us today. Anyway, it was a good experience partnering with Nur Izzuddin again," he said.
Wooi Yik-Nur Izzuddin, who reunited after a brief partnership in Chengdu 2024, let slip the opening game advantage before going down 21-14, 19-21, 19-21 to world No. 30 pair Takumi Nomura-Yuichi Shimogami.
The result not only ensured Japan checked into the last eight as Group B winner but also avenged defeats to Malaysia in the previous two editions in Bangkok 2022 and Chengdu 2024.
Malaysia had earlier edged England 3-2 and triumphed over Finland 4-1 to seal their place in the quarter-finals.
The knockout draw will be held tomorrow morning, with the Thomas Cup Finals 2026 running until May 3. – April 30, 2026
