KUALA LUMPUR: Lee Zii Jia faces a do-or-die mission at the China Masters next week, as anything less than a victory over India's Lakshya Sen in the first round in Shenzhen could cost him a spot in the season-ending World Tour Finals (WTF) next month.
World No. 7 Zii Jia and world No. 17 Lakshya have struggled for form since their clash at the Paris Olympics in August, where the Malaysian won to take the men's singles bronze medal.
Lakshya's performance has dipped post-Olympics, with a quarter-final exit at the Arctic Open and first-round defeats at the Denmark Open and Kumamoto Masters.
Zii Jia, meanwhile, suffered first-round exits at the Japan Open and China Open.
However, he showed improvement by reaching the quarter-finals at the Arctic Open and Kumamoto Masters.
For Zii Jia, the Super 750 tournament in Shenzhen is also a chance to earn ranking points to confirm his place at the WTF in Hangzhou on Dec 11-15.
A win against Lakshya would bolster his hopes of qualification.
Former national player Datuk James Selvaraj said Zii Jia needs to raise his game at the China Masters.
"Based on current form, Zii Jia has a slight edge to beat Lakshya in Shenzhen," said James.
"I believe Zii Jia will be better prepared as he needs the ranking points to qualify for the WTF.
"However, Lakshya could be motivated, and he may raise his game against the Malaysian. Zii Jia needs to take a cautious approach."
James also urged Zii Jia to focus on improving his physical condition ahead of next year's World Tour events.
"He needs to re-invent his training programme as he has not been consistent in tournaments.
"He does not recover fully after tough matches, and when he is struggling, he makes too many unforced errors," added James.
Zii Jia is sixth in the World Tour rankings but faces stiff competition from players like Taiwan's Lin Chun Yi, Japan's Koki Watanabe and Kenta Nishimoto, and China's Lu Guangzu, all of whom are within the top 10.
With the top eight players qualifying for the WTF, the China Masters will be crucial for Zii Jia.
Any slip-up, especially against Lakshya, could jeopardise his spot.