Men’s singles shuttler Lee Zii Jia suffered another blow in his return to competitive badminton after a five-month lay-off when he was knocked out in the first round of the Hong Kong Open by compatriot Leong Jun Hao.
Zii Jia, who is ranked 48th after his hiatus due to an ankle injury, made numerous mistakes while world No 26 Jun Hao was in complete control of the match, winning 21-16, 21-16 in 40 minutes.
Jun Hao will meet the winner of the match between Malaysia’s Justin Hoh and world No 8 Tomo Junior Popov from France in the second round.
As with the World Championships opener two weeks ago, Zii Jia appeared cautious in his game today, likely to avoid injuring his ankle again.
He and Jun Hao have met three times now, with Zii Jia winning two of the encounters which took place in 2023.
