KUALA LUMPUR − National number one men’s singles shuttler Lee Zii Jia’s campaign at the Indonesia Masters ended abruptly as he pulled out from the first round due to a back injury.
The 23-year-old, who was cleared to play in the BWF World Tour Super 750 event, decided to withdraw while trailing 9-11 against Denmark’s Rasmus Gemke in the opening round match at the Bali International Convention Centre in Nusa Dua.
The world number seven had previously retired in the final of the Hylo Open in Germany on November 7 when trailing 21-19, 13-21, 12-17 against Penang-born Singaporean player Loh Kean Yew.
“Zii Jia’s back injury is still not fully healed and he is still in pain (so) we will not force Zii Jia to continue playing,” said national men’s singles head coach Hendrawan.
He added that he would monitor the condition of the 2021 All England champion before deciding whether to allow him to participate in the Indonesian Open from November 23 to 28.
“We will see again next week because there is still time for him to rest and recover. Hopefully, Zii Jia’s condition will improve,” Hendrawan said when contacted by Bernama today.
Zii Jia said he tried his best to compete despite the injury but had to stop due to pain.
“It’s true that my injury has not fully healed but I tried (to play) earlier and it still hurts. I think it’s not only the back injury but my body is also very tired (as) I may be having other injuries as well,” he told RTM.
Zii Jia said he would decide on his participation in forthcoming major tournaments, such as the Indonesia Open and the BWF World Finals (December 1-5) soon.
Meanwhile, Rio 2016 Olympics mixed doubles silver medallists Chan Peng Soon-Goh Liu Ying suffered another first-round heartbreak, losing 21-13, 21-19 to Germany’s Jones Ralfy Jansen-Linda Efler in the opening round.
The world number eight pair had also crashed out of the first round of the Hylo Open and Denmark Open, as well as the quarterfinal of the French Open. – Bernama, November 17, 2021
