Lee Zii Jia conceded he is still far from his best after the men’s singles shuttler lost in straight games 12-21, 17-21 against Indian shuttler Ayush Shetty at the Malaysia Open on Tuesday.
“I am certainly not satisfied with how I played today. My opponent was tough, he is a rising star who had produced good results last year.
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“I did my best to change tactics, but physically I am still not fit. I think I am only 50-60% from my best. I am relieved to have completed the full match without any pain, but performance wise I am not satisfied.
“The upcoming four tournaments will be crucial for me,” he said.
As evident in his 39-minute defeat in front of a strong turnout at the Axiata Arena, Lee could not match his opponent for most parts.
The 27-year-old had a brief good spell in the second game where he led at the interval and for a short period after that, but unforced errors and slow reflexes costed him at the end.
Lee will have a busy month ahead of him as he’s scheduled to compete at next week’s India Open, followed by the Indonesia Masters (Jan 20-25) and Thailand Masters (Jan 27-Feb 1).
Lee's loss aside, it has been a fairly good day for the Malaysian contingent.
National mixed doubles pair Hoo Pang Ron-Cheng Su Yin came from behind to oust Denmark’s Mathias Christiansen-Alexandra Boje 20-22, 21-18, 21-17 to setup a clash against national team-mates Chen Tang Jie-Toh Ee Wei.
In the men’s doubles, Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin were also clinical in their 21-15, 21-13 victory over Danish pair Daniel Lundgaard-Mads Vestergaard to advance to Thursday’s second round.
