KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 9 — The participation of national men’s singles ace shuttler Lee Zii Jia in the Indonesia Masters is still in doubt following the back injury he suffered in the final of the 2021 Hylo Open in Saarbrucken, Germany, earlier yesterday Malaysian time.
National men’s singles coach Hendrawan said they were still monitoring the 2021 All England champion’s condition and a decision on whether or not Zii Jia would compete in the Indonesia Masters would be made after assessing his fitness level.
“Zii Jia tried his best, no discussion about tactics and strategy because Zii Jia is also tired mentally. This is a new experience for him… how he can continue and manage fatigue.
“As for his back injury, he has a few days to rest. We will make a decision at the 11th hour and if he still isn’t fully recovered, perhaps he will skip the Indonesia Masters,” he said in a statement yesterday.
Zii Jia, who was the second seed at the Hylo Open, was trailing 21-19, 13-21, 12-17 in the final against Singapore’s unseeded Loh Kean Yew when he had to retire due to a lower back injury in the deciding game at the Saarlandhalle indoor arena in Saarbrucken.
The Indonesia Masters, scheduled from November 16-21, is the first of three back-to-back tournaments in Indonesia under the Badminton World Federation (BWF) World Tour calendar.
The other two tournaments are the Indonesia Open from Nov 23-28 and World Tour Finals from December 1-5. All three tournaments are set to be held in Bali.
After that, attention will shift to the 2021 World Championships in Huelva, Spain from December 12-19.
— Bernama
