KUALA LUMPUR: Lee Zii Jia must do something fast to exorcise his bogeyman, Koki Watanabe, said Rashid Sidek.
World No. 4 Zii Jia has lost to the 14th ranked Japanese in all his three meetings, with the latest defeat coming at the Arctic Open on Friday.
And that is alarming, to say the least.
The Samurai shuttler has now emerged as Zii Jia's nemesis, and he is now seen in the mould of his illustrious countryman, two-time world champion, Kento Momota.
Ironically, in Zii Jia's latest setback, in that quarter-final loss (21-15, 13-21, 21-12) to Watanabe, the Malaysian, for the first time, was able to take a game off the Japanese.
Watanabe's fluid footwork and unorthodox strokeplay and deceiving net play caused Zii Jia's problems in Vantaa.
One such deceptive net shot forced Zii Jia to change direction and slip, leaving him to clutch his left ankle in pain while trailing 6-11 the first game. This may have also affected his performance for the rest of the game.
Zii Jia requested for a medical time out but continued playing after that. Despite the injury scare, he put up an improved performance although his movement on court wasn't smooth.
Rashid, a member of Malaysia's 1992 Thomas Cup-winning team, said Japanese players are known for their physical strength and as such, Zii Jia needs to improve his fitness level further.
"Watanabe is not special but Japanese shuttlers' weapons are normally fitness, footwork and consistency. One has to be physically strong to beat someone like Watanabe." said Rashid.
"It's important for Zii Jia to further work on his physical condition and have a game plan to shut out Watanabe's threat in future tournaments.
"Zii Jia's skill and tactics are very good, and a better physical condition will give him the confidence to go the distance with any player."
Rashid added that lanky shuttlers like Zii Jia, who stands at 1.86m, generally do not have smooth court movement and are exposed to leg injuries.
"Tall players like Zii Jia are awkward in their footwork. It may cause them injuries," added Rashid.
"He is gifted with attacking strokes and with better power and fitness, Zii Jia can become a formidable shuttler.
"Zii Jia managed to continue playing and complete the match, and hopefully there's nothing serious."