NATIONAL men’s singles, Lee Zii Jia is looking at a possible World Championships quarter-final appearance, after the draw was released on Monday.
Despite being in the same half as defending champion, Kento Momota of Japan and five-time world champion, Lin Dan of China, Zii Jia is still expected to win his first three matches.
Speaking to the press at the Badminton World Federation (BWF) office here, Zii Jia, who reached the semi-finals of the recent Thailand Open, said: “The draw is not bad at all.
“I play Ygor Coelho (Brazil) in the first round and am expected to face China’s Lu Guang Zu in the second and Japan’s Kenta Nishimoto in the third.
“I have beaten Kenta before, so reaching the quarter-finals I a realistic target.”
Currently ranked No 17 in the world, Zii Jia is slowly becoming a household name in Malaysian badminton especially after the retirement of former world No 1, Lee Chong Wei in June.
And while the Kedah-born has stunned the likes of world No 3, Chou Tien Chen of Taiwan and world No 4, Chen Long of China this season, a couple of top players including world No 2, She Yuqi (China) and former champion, Viktor Axelsen of Denmark, have been forced to skip this year’s world meet due to injuries.
On whether their absence would give him a better chance to shine, the Zii Jia added: “Not really, I’ve never seen it that way.
“For me, every player in the world meet is a worthy opponent. I want to focus on one match at a time, and just give my best.”
Meanwhile, independent shuttler and last year’s bronze medal winner, Liew Daren is in the bottom half of the draw.
The 32-year-old opens his campaign against Thailand’s Khosit Phetpradab and is slated to take on world No 8, Anders Antonsen of Denmark in the second.