KUALA LUMPUR: World No. 8 Lee Zii Jia is a player who flourishes when the odds are stacked against him, and the World Tour Finals (WTF) in Hangzhou, starting Wednesday (Dec 11), could offer him another opportunity to shine.
Former national coach Rashid Sidek believes the independent Malaysian shuttler performs best when he is not in the spotlight, as evidenced by his men's singles bronze medal at the Paris Olympics in August — an achievement few anticipated.
This year's WTF sees Zii Jia entering as an outsider, with top seeds Anders Antonsen of Denmark and China's Shi Yu Qi tipped as the favourites.
But Rashid warns against ruling out the unpredictable Zii Jia.
"Zii Jia is very dangerous when he is not seen as a contender. He showed his quality at the Paris Olympics, and he will be in a good position in Hangzhou," said Rashid.
"The focus is on players like Antonsen and Yu Qi. Another Chinese shuttler, Li Shi Feng, could also benefit from homeground advantage.
"Let's not forget that Zii Jia has beaten seven of the other qualifiers at some point in his career. It's all about staying focused and performing consistently," added Rashid.
Zii Jia is in Group A in Hangzhou with world No. 2 Antonsen, world No. 6 Shi Feng and Taiwan's Chou Tien Chen (No. 9).
Group B features Yu Qi, Indonesia's Jonatan Christie (No. 4), Thailand's Kunlavut Vitidsarn (No. 5) and Japan's Kodai Naraoka (No. 7).
Zii Jia, the former All England champion starts, his campaign against veteran Tien Chen on Wednesday, followed by tougher tests against Antonsen on Thursday (Dec 12) and Shi Feng on Friday (Dec 13).
"Tien Chen is a seasoned player, but Zii Jia has been doing well against him this year. I see a good start on Wednesday," said Rashid.
"It's a tough group, but advancing from here would further boost his confidence going into the knockout stage."
Zii Jia's coach, Wong Tat Meng, will also be keen to finish his tenure on a high, which could provide additional motivation for the Malaysian ace to achieve something special in Hangzhou.