Thomas Cup: Lighter Schedule Favours Zii Jia — Coach

KUALA LUMPUR, April 14 (Bernama) -- Malaysia’s lighter-than-usual Thomas Cup schedule is expected to benefit professional singles player Lee Zii Jia, who has recently recovered from injury. 

Zii Jia’s coach Liew Daren said the situation would allow his charge to regain his rhythm ahead of the match against Japan, which will be Malaysia’s final Group B tie.

“I think the first match is against England, and after that is Finland. So I think most probably it won’t be too tough, especially for the third singles,” he said when met after the Thomas Cup team’s training session today.

At the Thomas Cup Finals in Horsens, Denmark, Malaysia will open their Group B campaign against England on April 25, followed by Finland on April 27, before wrapping up the group stage against Japan on April 29.

When asked about Zii Jia's current form, Daren admitted that the Paris Olympic bronze medallist is not yet at 100 per cent.

However, he is confident that Zii Jia will be able to reach peak form before the prestigious tournament begins on April 24.

“Not 100 per cent, but we are pushing right now. Now I think it is around 70 to 80 per cent. 

“So his progress is good, and hopefully this week and into next week we will continue to push,” he said.

He also hopes Zii Jia will feature in every match at the tournament.

“If possible, I want him to play because he hasn’t had many tournaments. I want him to get that tournament feeling.

“But it also depends on the (team) coach. So we will discuss this,” he said.

Zii Jia is the fourth-ranked singles player in the squad and is expected to play in the third singles. 

-- BERNAMA