Defending champion Zii Jia set to return at Australian Open

PETALING JAYA: Badminton fans can look forward to seeing men’s singles star Lee Zii Jia back on court after he registered to compete in the Australian Open from Nov 18-23.

According to the qualifying report released by the Badminton World Federation (BWF) on Friday (Oct10), Zii Jia will join three other Malaysian men’s singles players – Leong Jun Hao, Justin Hoh and Aidil Sholeh Ali Sadikin – in the tournament.

If he remains in the draw until the withdrawal deadline on Nov 10, it will confirm that he has fully recovered from a previous back injury.

For the record, Zii Jia won last year’s Australian Open after defeating Kodai Naraoka in the final.

On Oct 1, Zii Jia’s Team LZJ announced that he had been advised to follow a rehabilitation programme due to a back injury, forcing him to withdraw from the Denmark Open, French Open and Hylo Open this month.

The 27-year-old had also struggled with an ankle injury and only returned to action in August at the World Championships in France, followed by the Hong Kong Open and China Masters last month, but was eliminated in the first round of each tournament.