Lee Zii Jia withdraws from Badminton Asia Championships 2025

Malaysia No. #1, Lee Zii Jia, has been struggling lingering right ankle injury.

Malaysia’s top men’s singles shuttler Lee Zii Jia has withdrawn from the upcoming 2025 Badminton Asia Championships (BAC) in Ningbo, China from 8th–13th April because of his ongoing right ankle injury.

Since pulling out of the BWF World Tour Finals after sustaining the injury mid-match, the Malaysian No. #1 has missed six tournaments on the BWF World Tour. He competed at the Orleans Masters and All England Open in consecutive weeks but failed to make it past the quarterfinals.

“After careful consideration and advice from relevant parties including medical experts, Team LZJ have submitted and successfully applied for Lee Zii Jia’s ranking protection under the Badminton World Federation (BWF),” the player’s side said in a statement.

Also Read: Lee Zii Jia’s career in numbers: Records, stats, and titles

Continuing further the statement said, “This is to allow Zii Jia to continue in his recovery from a right ankle injury and will miss the forthcoming tournaments including the Badminton Asia Championships.”

Official Statement.📸 Zongyenyen#DareToDream #OwnYourAttitude #BeyondTheLimit #ShuttleHard pic.twitter.com/MkA8aldu23

— Team LZJ (@TeamLZJ) March 24, 2025

Injury has hampered the 2022 Asian champion since the end of last year. Lee Zii Jia suffered a ligament injury at the BWF World Tour Finals in Hangzhou, China, in December. He then withdrew from several major tournaments, including the Malaysia Open, India Open, and Indonesia Masters in January. The Swiss Open, which ended on 24th March, was his latest withdrawal as he prioritized recovery.

Although he made a comeback at the Orleans Masters and All England Open in March, Lee Zii Jia is still not back to his best. At the Orleans Masters, Ireland’s Nhat Nguyen knocked him out in the quarter-finals, losing 21-23, 7-21. His campaign at the All England Open ended in the first round after losing 21-19, 16-21, 12-21 to Hong Kong’s Angus Ng Ka Long.

“Rest assured we are doing our best to aid Lee Zii Jia in his rehabilitation and training program. In the meantime, we thank the fans and our sponsors for their continuous support. His return to competitive on court action will depend on his recovery. In the meantime, we thank the fans and our sponsors for their unwavering support.” The statement concludes.

It’s unclear when Lee Zii Jia will make a full return to competitive action, but with his ranking protected, he can now focus on recovery and getting back into form for future tournaments.

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