KUALA LUMPUR: While the badminton world anticipates a potential Olympic showdown in the final between China's Shi Yu Qi and Denmark's Viktor Axelsen, Hong Kong's Angus Ng warns against overlooking Malaysia's Lee Zii Jia.
Angus, 30, who missed the Paris Games qualification, recently shared his insights with Hong Kong's HOY TV. Having faced Zii Jia four times this year — more than any other player — and losing each encounter, Angus' perspective carries weight.
Their most notable clashes occurred in the Thailand Open final and Malaysia Masters semi-finals, with another during the Indonesia Open's first round.
These matches, three within just four weeks, showcased Zii Jia's current form.
The strong momentum built by Zii Jia, opined Angus, stands the former All England champion in good stead for Paris.
"The top two seeds in the men's singles are definitely the favourites to win, but I think Zii Jia also has a chance," said Angus.
"Despite not being among the highest-ranked players, Zii Jia has performed well in recent World Tour tournaments, winning two titles (Thailand Open and Australian Open) and finishing runner-up once (Malaysia Masters)."
"These good performances before the Olympics will give him a shot in the arm. Zii Jia is in good physical and mental condition at the moment.
"If he brings this state into the Paris Games, I think most of his opponents will find it hard to defeat him."
In Angus' absence, Hong Kong will be represented by Lee Cheuk Yiu, who is counting on former Malaysian international Wong Choong Hann to lead him to success.
Zii Jia will open his campaign in Group G against Sri Lanka's unheralded Viren Nettasinghe on Sunday.
The Malaysian will likely easily clear the group stage, as his other opponent is the Spanish veteran Pablo Abian.
The former European Games gold medallist, making his fifth Olympics appearance, is the oldest player in the field at 39.
Zii Jia faces a thorny path to the final, with Indonesia's Anthony Ginting, Denmark's Anders Antonsen, and either China's Shi Yu Qi or Thailand's reigning world champion Kunlavut Vitidsarn as potential rivals in the last-16, quarter-final, and semi-final stages, respectively.
Other prominent rivals in the other half of the draw include Axelsen, Taiwan's Chou Tien Chen, Japan's Kodai Naraoka, India's H.S. Prannoy, Indonesia's Jonatan Christie, Singapore's Loh Kean Yew, and China's Li Shi Feng.
Zii Jia has previously declared his lofty ambition of winning the gold in Paris.