Zii Jia retires in Thailand Masters quarter-final

2026-01-30 - 09:06

Lee Zii Jia has slipped to No 79 in the world rankings after being plagued by injuries throughout 2025, which limited him to just five tournaments. (Bernama pic) PETALING JAYA: National singles shuttler Lee Zii Jia’s run at the Thailand Masters came to an end today when he retired in his quarter-final match against Indonesian top player, Alwi Farhan. Zii Jia, ranked world No 79, won the first game 21-10 and lost 21-15 in the second before deciding not to continue with the rubber at the Nimibutr Stadium in Bangkok. His actual reason for not continuing the match is not known. Alwi, 21, ranked No 14 in the world, appeared much fitter than Zii Jia, who is seven years older. It was their first encounter. Today’s quarter-final appearance was Zii Jia’s best performance since his comeback after a six-month layoff because of injuries in the last season. In the three World Tour events since the beginning of the year, the Paris Olympics bronze medallist was eliminated in the opening rounds of the Malaysia and Indian Opens, and lost in the second round at last week’s Indonesia Masters. He has failed to make the cut for the All-England Championships in Birmingham in March, after an injury-plagued 2025 which limited him to just five tournaments. He had won the title in 2021 after making his debut there in 2020. Zii Jia needs to be among the top 32 players to qualify for the main draw in the All England.