‘Stranger Things’ Hits Zii Jia In Horsens

From Amiril Muttaqien Meketar

HORSENS (Denmark), April 23 (Bernama) -- There is a strange feeling heading into the Thomas Cup Finals 2026 for professional men’s singles shuttler Lee Zii Jia, here.

Zii Jia said it is not because of fitness concerns but a possible unfamiliar role as Malaysia’s third singles during the prestigious badminton team competition, which kicks off tomorrow until May 3, in Forum Horsens.

For a player more used to the spotlight of Malaysia’s main singles in the past, the adjustment is significant, but the world No. 82 player insisted he is ready for the challenge if required.

“This is the first time I will playing third singles for the Malaysian team. So it’s totally a different situation for me. Before this I had played second singles during my debut in the 2018 edition in Bangkok.

“I’ve already prepared for the third singles role, but the moment you step on court, the pressure is different. No matter how much you prepare, your mindset changes during the match. We’ll see how it goes,”,” he told Bernama during the practice session here, today.

Zii Jia also acknowledged that the pressure of playing in a decisive match particularly in a 2-2 situation would present a unique challenge, despite his preparations.

Malaysia’s men’s singles will feature national No. 1 and world No. 25 Leong Jun Hao Justin Hoh (world No. 44) and Aidil Sholeh Ali Sadikin (No. 51).

As the national team may head into Horsens with questions over their men’s singles depth, the 28-year-old (Zii Jia)  is not one to overpromise as he preferred to let his racket do the talking instead.

“I mean definitely if you look at the ranking we at a disadvantage. I don’t want to explain much, so let the result speak for itself,” he said.

On the physical front, the All England 2021 champion said things are finally in the right direction after a difficult spell with injuries, with consistency now the main focus following the team training camp in Herning, Denmark, prior to coming to Horsens.

Zii Jia was also pleased with the positive team environment within the Malaysian camp, noting that familiarity among players has helped strengthen unity ahead of the tournament.

The Paris 2024 Olympic Games bronze medallist had previously struggled with injuries since suffering an ankle problem at the World Tour Finals in December 2024 before returning to action at the Orleans Masters and All England in March last year.

With the ankle injury still not fully healed, he had to rest again before returning to the court at the World Championships in Paris, last August.

In September, he played at the Hong Kong Open before withdrawing in the first round of the China Masters due to a back injury.

Following that, the Kedah-born player decided to take a complete break to focus on recovery.

Since returning to action starting with the 2026 Malaysia Open in January, Zii Jia has only advanced to the quarter-finals once, namely the 2026 Thailand Masters (January) out of the total six tournaments he participated in this year.

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.

-- BERNAMA