KUALA LUMPUR: National badminton ace Lee Zii Jia has vowed to show that he is as good as his world No. 2 ranking suggests.
Zii Jia admitted that he was not pleased with his topsy-turvy performances in the second half of the 2022 season, adding that he will have to do better if he is to hold on to his current career-best ranking.
The 24-year-old moved up to second position in late October but has since struggled.
"For me, inconsistency remains a key issue that I have to deal with," said Zii Jia, speaking from Taiwan recently.
"In my opinion, the world No. 2 position I'm occupying isn't that secure.
"So when I return next year, I must really go out there to prove that I deserve to be the world No. 2."
Following his shocking exit from the national team earlier this year, Zii Jia enjoyed a rousing start to his independent career with back-to-back victories at the Asia Championships and Thailand Open.
In the second half of the season, Zii Jia made it to a third final at the Denmark Open but was forced to settle for runner-up.
He, however, failed to get past the last-16 stage in his five other starts, including the Malaysia Open and the World Championships.
Zii Jia is determined to make amends and finally get it right at the Malaysia Open, which returns with an elevated Super 1000 status. The tournament will be held at the Axiata Arena in Bukit Jalil from Jan 10-15.
Zii Jia faces a tricky first hurdle against Japan's rising star, Kodai Naraoka.
"Every player wants to win the national open in front of their home fans and I'm no exception. It's definitely one of the main targets," said Zii Jia.
"But I will not put too much pressure on myself and will look to savour the opportunity to play on home soil."
Only a handful of local men's singles players have managed to win the Malaysia Open since the Open era started in 1980.
Besides Lee Chong Wei (2004-2006,2008-2014,2016 and 2018) and Ong Ewe Hock (1996, 2001) the three other winners were Misbun Sidek (1985), Rashid Sidek (1990, 1991 and 1992) and James Chua (2002).
Zii Jia was in Taiwan last week to attend a promotional event organised by his sponsor Victor, where he also took part in an exhibition match with Taiwan's world No. 20 Wang Tzu Wei.
Zii Jia made the most of his one-week stay by training with world No. 5 Chou Tien Chen.
Taiwan holds a special place in Zii Jia's heart as it was where he achieved his maiden World Tour victory at the Taiwan Open in 2018.