How did Lee Zii Jia perform in 2023?

He won his only BWF World Tour title at the Arctic Open.

Malaysia’s badminton player, Lee Zii Jia, had a successful year in 2022. However, this season he experienced a decline in performance, resulting in early exits from major tournaments. Despite winning a bronze medal in the Sudirman Cup with the mixed team and securing the title at the Arctic Open, this year will be remembered as one in which he underperformed in the current world no. 11 badminton player’s career.

At the half-way mark, he took a indefinite break and made a good comeback to the Tour. He gave good fight and concluded the year as Malaysia’s number one shuttler ahead of NG Tze Yong. In this article, we will have a look at the performance of Lee Zii Jia this year.

List of tournaments he participated in:

• Malaysia Open (First Round) 
• Indian Open (Second Round)
• Indonesia Masters (Second Round)
• German Open (Second Round)
• Badminton Asia Championships (First Round)
• Sudirman Cup (Bronze Medal)
• Malaysia Masters (First Round)
• Singapore Open (First Round)
• Indonesia Open (First Round)
• Korea Open (First Round)
• Asian Games 
  • – Men’s Team (First Round)
  • – Men’s Singles (Quarterfinals)
• Arctic Open (Winner)
• Denmark Open (Runners-up)

Achievements 

Sudirman Cup – Bronze Medal

In May, Lee Zii Jia had the honor of representing Malaysia in the prestigious Sudirman Cup. He showcased remarkable prowess by securing an impressive streak of five victories. Lee emerged triumphant in challenging matches against esteemed opponents such as Ricky Tang, Srikanth Kidambi, Chou Tien-chen and Jeon Hyeok-jin. Notably, Viktor Axelsen retired during the quarterfinals, further solidifying Lee’s stellar performance in the tournament.

In the semifinals, the Malaysian emerged triumphant against Korea in the men’s singles event. Nevertheless, despite Lee’s exceptional performance, the Malaysian team ultimately succumbed to Korea with a score of 1-3, securing a bronze medal in the tournament.

Arctic Open (Winner)

After the retirement of Anders Antonsen in the semi-final round, Lee Zii Jia entered his final of the season. In the final, he competed against compatriot, Ng Tze Yong. With remarkable skills, Lee emerged victorious in just straight games, triumphing over Tze Yong with scores of 21-14 and 21-15 to claim the title. It took the former a period of 17 months to secure his subsequent championship on the BWF Tour. His previous title victory took place at the Thailand Open in 2022.

Denmark Open (Runners Up)

After the victory in the Arctic Open, Lee continued his form in the subsequent week at the Denmark Open. In the semifinals, he was up against Hong Kong’s Lee Cheuk Yiu. With a dominating performance, Lee defeated his opponent in straight games with scores of 21-15 and 21-17. He faced a setback in the final when China’s Weng Hongyang secured a commanding victory with a score of 12-21 and 6-21.

Other Achievements

Times Square Billboard

On March 9, 2023, Lee Zii Jia achieved a significant milestone in his badminton career by becoming the first Malaysian player to be featured on a billboard in Times Square. 

This event marked the 55th anniversary of Victor Rakcets Industrial Corporation. Alongside Lee, several esteemed international badminton players, including Tai Tzu-ying, Anders Antonsen, Apriyani Rahayu, Siti Fadia Silva Ramadhanti, Hendra Setiawan and Mohammad Ahsan, were also showcased on the billboard.

For more updates, follow Khel Now on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram; download the Khel Now Android App or IOS App and join our community on Whatsapp & Telegram