Stadium Astro looks at possible scenarios of why Lee Zii Jia decide to reject a slot to play at the Malaysia Masters and travel halfway across the globe to contest at the U.S.Open.
Main draw entry
Lee's current ranking of 62 will guarantee the Malaysian a main draw entry at the U.S. Open which takes place in California from June 23-28.
The 28-year-old would much prefer starting his campaign from the first round as opposed to playing in the qualifiers, which he would need to do at the Malaysia Masters.
Team LZJ may have even plotted for Lee to feature at the Macao Open the week before US, and he could head to the Canada Open (June 30-July 5) after playing in California.
Three back-to-back Super 300 events will definitely have a huge appeal to the shuttler and his team.
A chance to reset physically and mentally
Being knocked out at the Thailand Open first round would have been a timely reminder to Lee he needs to be savvy on how he utilizes his energy.
To play two back-to-back matches in the qualifiers and having less than 24-hours rest before playing in the main draw must be both physically and mentally draining.
For a player of his stature, Lee has the ability to go far in lower-tier events such as the U.S.Open.
Which is why he will get the chance to have more than a month's preparation to be in peak condition before leaving to North America.
Follow the examples of Lee Chong Wei & Goh Sze Fei- Nur Izzuddin
When Chong Wei returned from a eight-month doping ban, he had to start from lower-tier events like the U.S.Open.
Chong Wei took the tournament seriously and won it back in 2015 on his comeback journey where he climbed back to world number one from 181.
Similarly, when Goh-Izzudin reunited after a brief split back in 2023, they too competed at the U.S.Open and won it, before going on to claim a world number one spot.
Zii Jia may have analyzed this and realized he could also follow in the footsteps of Malaysian shuttlers who used the U.S.Open to return to greatness.
