Lee Zii Jia will face Indian shuttler Ayush Shetty in the opening round of the Malaysia Open, and if he wins that match the men’s singles shuttler will most likely take on top seed Shi Yu Qi.

The encounter against Shetty will be Lee’s first competitive action in four months, since the Malaysian last featured at the China Masters back in September.

This year has been a forgettable year for the Paris Olympics bronze medalist, who has dropped to 144 on the world rankings after he was plagued with injuries and never reached the heights he is capable of.

In total, Lee only played in five tournaments, with his best outing coming at Orleans Masters which saw him reach the quarter-finals.

That tournament was also the only event which Lee last won, having exited in the first rounds of the other events.

Shetty will provide a huge test for Lee as he aims to begin the new year with a victory in front of his home crowd.

The world number 32 has beaten big names such as Kodai Naraoka and Loh Kean Yew this year, and even won a World Tour title when he triumphed at the US Open.

So Lee will need to be at his sharpest best against an opponent who will have nothing to lose and all to gain.

Should the Kedah-born win, it will be the warm-up he needs before potentially facing world number one Shi who is also the tournament’s defending champion.