KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 10 — National men’s singles, Lee Zii Jia was forced to withdraw from the upcoming Hong Kong Open starting on Nov 12, due to severe food poisoning.

The 21-year-old player found the illness debilitating and was unable to train. 

National men’s singles coach Hendrawan said Zii Jia would undergo further medical check-ups and continue his recovery in Malaysia.

"Zii Jia was feeling lethargic and had difficulties to train due to the food poisoning. 

"We’ve decided to pull him out of the Hong Kong Open and he will have a medical check-up in Malaysia,” he said in a statement issued by Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) today.

Zii Jia who is currently ranked ninth in world tour retired midway through his second round match against world number one, Kento Momota at the Fuzhou China Open last Thursday. — Bernama