KUALA LUMPUR, July 4 — National professional men’s singles shuttler Lee Zii Jia and world number one Viktor Axelsen will not feature at the Malaysia Masters Championship which begins tomorrow (July 5).

This is based on the latest schedule released by the Badminton World Federation (BWF) for the tournament set to be held at the Axiata Arena in Bukit Jalil until Sunday (July 10).

Meanwhile, Axelsen on his personal Instagram page said he needed to take a break to ensure he was at his best for upcoming tournaments.

He also hinted that he may not be playing at the Singapore Open scheduled from July 12 to 17.

The 28-year-old, however, thanked fans who had supported him throughout three recent tournaments, namely the Indonesian Masters, Indonesian Open and Malaysian Open.

"I need some days off to rest, celebrate my recent wins with my family and then build up towards new goals,” he said.

Yesterday, the Danish star managed to end a 10-year wait for the Malaysian Open badminton championship since his debut in 2012.

He easily defeated Japan’s Kento Momota 21-4, 21-7 in the men’s singles final to clinch a hat-trick within a month after winning the Indonesian Open and Indonesian Masters.

Zii Jia was knocked out in the second round of the Malaysian Open after a shock defeat to unseeded Indonesian Shesar Hiren Rhustavito, 19-21, 21-19, 16-21. — Bernama