KUALA LUMPUR: World No. 5 Lee Zii Jia, chasing a World Tour Finals (WTF) ticket, aims to rediscover the magic that helped him win last year's Arctic Open and finish second in the Denmark Open this month.
Zii Jia, who is gradually regaining his physical strength after the Paris Olympics, will compete in the Arctic Open in Vaanta, Finland, on Oct 8-13 and Denmark Open on Oct 15-20.
The professional shuttler overcame compatriot Ng Tze Yong to secure the Arctic Open crown last year, his first world tour title since the Thailand Open in May, 2022.
A week later, Zi Jia stunned world No. 1 Viktor Axelsen of Denmark in the second round before going down to Weng Hong Yang of China in the Denmark Open final.
A similar run in Europe is needed for Zii Jia not only to bounce back from recent setbacks on the tour after his bronze-winning feat at the Paris Olympics, but also to ensure that he doesn't slip down the world rankings.
Zii Jia is not giving up when it comes to the WT F Finals where the top eight performers in the ongoing tour will get their spots for the season-ending finale on Dec 11-15.
After his first round exit at the China Open in Changzhou last month, Zii JIa talked of several physical niggles that disrupted his training, but said he has been gradually getting better.
"I hope I can repeat what I have done in the Arctic and Denmark Opens, not just my results but also improve my ranking in the qualification for the World Tour Finals," said Zii JIa after receiving an incentive from 100Plus today.
"My world tour ranking is at No. 6 and I will compete in the remaining events to try and qualify for the finals (in Hangzhou).
"As long as my physical condition is good, I will play. To be honest, I am lucky that those were minor injuries. There are concerns about my elbow, back and recently knee (strain) but these issues are being looked after.
"As long as I can get into court and train, I will continue playing as I want to to qualify for the World Tour Finals."
Seeded third, Zii JIa has a challenging draw in the Arctic Open where he will open his campaign against Christo Popov, followed by likely meetings against China's Lei Lanxi, against Anthony GInting of Indonesia (last eight) and against top seed Anders Antonsen of Denmark (semi-finals).
The last two tournaments before the WTF are the Japan (Nov 12-17) and China (Nov 19-23) Opens which would give Zii Jia the chance to gain more points.
Zii JIa's sponsor 100Plus' s timely incentive of RM100,000 today for winning bronze at the Paris Olympics in August should motivate him to do well in Europe.
"100Plus has been supporting me since I was 19, and this is proof that results will bring in the rewards. Incentives like this are motivation not just for me but also for other professionals who have to fork out their own money to compete in tournaments," said Zii Jia.