KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia's top singles shuttler Lee Zii Jia faces a setback as an ankle injury threatens to undo his recent momentum.
The 26-year-old has slipped to world No. 7, dropping out of the top five for the first time in eight weeks after failing to defend his Arctic Open crown in Finland last week.
His performance was hampered by an ankle injury that proved more severe than initially thought, leading to his withdrawal from this week's Denmark Open.
Zii Jia may slip further down the rankings as he won't be able to defend the substantial points earned from his runner-up finish in last year's Super 750 event.
However, the Olympic bronze medallist is expected to maintain his position in the world top 10 until the end of the year.
With Zii Jia sidelined, fans will have to wait another four weeks before he returns for the Kumamoto Masters Super 500 in Japan (Nov 12-17) and China Masters Super 750 (Nov 19-24).
Zii Jia will not participate in the upcoming Hylo Open in Germany and Korea Masters, as he did not register for these Super 300 events.
This period of inactivity has put Zii Jia's qualification for the lucrative season-ending World Tour Finals in Hangzhou, China (Dec 11-15) at risk.
The event is exclusive to the top eight performers on the circuit.
Although Zii Jia currently sits fifth in the provisional rankings, his position is likely to change.
To secure his spot, Zii Jia will need to finish in the top seven at the end of the China Masters.
Denmark's Viktor Axelsen has automatically qualified as the Olympic gold medallist, despite not being ranked in the top eight.
The World Tour Finals offers an impressive overall prize pool of US$2.5 million (RM10.77 million), with singles contenders competing for a US$200,000 (RM862,000) jackpot.
Players are eager to qualify, as participation alone guarantees a minimum payout of US$15,000 (RM64,000).