KUALA LUMPUR - The hopes of local badminton fans to see Lee Zii Jia continue his participation in the 2024 Badminton World Federation (BWF) World Tour Finals in Hangzhou, China were dashed after the national men's singles player was forced to withdraw due to an ankle injury.
In his final group match against China's Li Shi Feng, Zii Jia was leading 15-11 in the second set when he had to retire, with the injury believed to have occurred when the score was 13-5.
Zii Jia had already secured a place in the semi-finals following two victories over Taiwan’s Chou Tien Chen and Denmark’s Anders Antonsen but will no longer feature in the round.
In the meantime, TeamLZJ on X (formerly Twitter) informed that Zii Jia was currently receiving the necessary medical treatment.
"Lee Zii Jia's participation at the #BWFWorldTourFinals2024 has unfortunately ended due to a right ankle injury," the statement read.
Meanwhile, national men's doubles pair Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin Rumsani successfully advanced to the semi-finals after defeating Olympic gold medallists Lee Yang-Wang Chi Lin of Taiwan, 24-22, 21-12. - BERNAMA