KUALA LUMPUR – After an exhilarating series of matches at both the Arctic and Denmark tournaments, shuttler Lee Zii Jia appears to be undecided on competing in tomorrow’s French Open, ostensibly due to fatigue.
Fresh off his victory at the Arctic Open on October 15, Zii Jia then participated in the Denmark Open just two days later, making it all the way to the final match on Sunday.
Unfortunately, he faced a formidable opponent in China’s Weng Hongyang and had to settle for second place, the same feat he achieved in his previous run in the same tournament.
Should the 11th-ranked men’s singles player decide to step onto the court in Rennes tomorrow, he will find himself in an instant rematch against the Chinese player in the opening round.
Zii Jia was cited in an interview with SPOTV, as saying that the demanding schedule has taken a toll on him, leaving him feeling fatigued.
“To be honest, I’m still 50-50 on (playing at) the France Open, it’s getting to the third week and my body is getting tired.
“I have to discuss with my team whether I’m fit enough to compete. We have two big tournaments coming, the China and Japan (Masters).
“So yeah I think we have to decide on that,” he told SPOTV.
Last night, Hongyang took just 33 minutes to deliver a straight-set upset against Zii Jia in the Jyske Bank Arena in Odense, Denmark.
It was Zii Jia’s third defeat to Hongyang in four outings.
“He is playing his best, I have nothing to say. He played a fantastic game and won.
“(Right now) I prefer to throw away anything that is negative and take the positive.
“I’m starting to be more confident in my gameplay as I have been working on it. I’m also targeting to be more consistent,” said Zii Jia.
The Super 500 Kumamoto Masters Japan will be held from November 14 to 19, while the Super 750 China Masters will be held from November 21 to 26. – October 23, 2023