KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 29 — Men’s singles badminton ace Lee Zii Jia is hoping for a positive start to 2023 with a good outing at the Malaysian Open at the Axiata Arena from January 10-15.

The 24-year-old said he also wanted to prove that he was qualified to be the world number two based on his performance and not merely collecting points by participating in many competitions.

He has set a target of winning at least three individual titles next year, up from this year’s two, namely the Thai Open and Asian Championships, while also aiming to help the national men’s squad win the Asian Team Championship this year.

"Of course, to win (the Malaysia Open title) is my dream, because this year, the fans were frustrated when no Malaysians played in the final. So this time, I am aiming for something higher.

"My target for the (2023) season is similar to 2022, that is to give a consistent performance. I am not sure if it will happen or not, but I will definitely continue to give my best,” he said when met by reporters at a training session.

Zii Jia was knocked out in the second round of the Malaysia Open in 2022, and bowed out in the first round in 2019.

He is set to kick off the 2023 edition by taking on Japan’s Kodai Naraoka, and could potentially meet the country’s number two, Ng Tze Yong in the second round if the latter gets past Nhat Nguyen from Ireland.

In preparation for the competition this time, Zii Jia will train with world number 19 Anders Antonsen of Denmark for a week, with Taiwan’s Chou Tien Chen (world number 6) also expected to join the training. — Bernama