KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 4 — Malaysia Open defending champion Anders Antonsen from Denmark is highly motivated to defend his title in the 2025 edition but at the same time sad that Malaysian professional shuttler Lee Zii Jia will not be featuring in it.
He said that he was hoping to exact revenge against his off-court “good friend” Zii Jia whom he lost to in the quarter-finals of the 2024 Malaysia Masters last May.
The 28-year-old expressed sympathy for Zii Jia who has withdrawn from the Super 1000 tournament.
“It’s a big event. It’s crazy that we kick off 2025 right away with Super 1000 but I’m excited. I don’t feel additional pressure just because I’m the defending champion. I know for sure everyone at this level can be the champion, it’s about approaching every single match as a 50, 50 match that can go both ways.
“(As for Zii Jia) I feel sorry for him (but) I don’t know what he exactly did to get injured during the World Tour finals. I am sure he would have loved to play on home soil. It’s a shame, obviously, I feel sorry for him, but I wish him recovery and hopefully will see him again soojn,” he said when met at Akademi Badminton Malaysia, Bukit Kiara here today.
According to a statement posted by Team LZJ in a social media post yesterday, Zii Jia, 26, has not fully recovered from the right ankle ligament injury sustained during the BWF World Tour Finals last month.
Meanwhile, Antonsen said that he is eager for his fourth title after winning at the European Championships, Denmark Open and China Masters last year.
He, however, acknowledged that the path will not be easy with his fist round match against formidable Taiwanese shuttler Wang Tzu Wei.
“I know he’s a player who on his best days can challenge anyone, so I take him very seriously. I am focused 100 percent on that match and then we’ll see from there,” he said. — Bernama
