National shuttler Lee Zii Jia admits World Tour Finals spot not yet secure, eyes strong European performance

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 3 — Malaysian professional men’s singles shuttler Lee Zii Jia acknowledged that his position is still unsafe in the race to qualify for the BWF World Tour Finals in Hangzhou, China, this December.

Currently ranked sixth in the World Tour standings with 64,860 points, Lee faces stiff competition from Hong Kong’s Ng Ka Long, who is seventh with 62,850 points, and Taiwan’s Lee Chia Hao, who is eighth with 62,180 points.

Only the top eight players in the World Tour standings qualify for the season-ending tournament, which carries a total prize purse of US$2.5 million (RM10.54 million).

“I have no choice but to compete in as many tournaments as I can and be consistent in producing positive results,” Lee told Malay daily Berita Harian.

Lee will be playing in the upcoming Arctic Open in Finland from October 8 to 13, followed by the Denmark Open from October 15 to 20.

Lee is the defending champion at the Arctic Open, having won it last year, and was also the runner-up at the Denmark Open.

“Looking at my World Tour ranking, I’m in sixth place now. As long as my condition is okay and I can compete in tournaments, I will play.

“I want to qualify for the World Tour Finals. I hope to repeat last year’s achievements in Finland and Denmark. It’s important to maintain my ranking,” Lee was quoted saying.

On his physical condition, the world number five said he is feeling much better compared to last month, when he lost in the opening rounds of the Japan Open and China Open.

According to the news report Lee received an incentive from isotonic drink brand 100PLUS for his bronze medal achievement at the Paris 2024 Olympics. He was awarded RM100,000 by 100PLUS.

The world number five, who has been an ambassador for 100PLUS since he was 19, expressed gratitude for the brand’s continued support, even after his departure from the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) in 2022.

Previously, Lee also received RM100,000 under the Sports Victory Reward Scheme (SHAKAM), along with an SUV from Chery Malaysia for his performance in Paris.