KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 11 — Malaysia’s top men’s singles shuttler Lee Zii Jia will not defend his Australian Open crown after pulling out of this year’s edition, scheduled from November 18 to 23 in Sydney.
According to the Badminton World Federation (BWF) website, the 27-year-old has been listed under “withdrawn” alongside Paris 2024 Olympic gold medallist Viktor Axelsen, Thailand’s 2023 world champion Kunlavut Vitidsarn, and fellow Malaysian professionals Cheam June Wei and Jacky Kok Jing Hong.
Team LZJ has yet to officially explain the withdrawal, but the independent player has been nursing a persistent back injury since September.
On October 1, Team LZJ posted on Instagram that the Paris 2024 bronze medallist had been advised by a medical expert to undergo an extended rehabilitation programme for “persistent low back pain.”
The injury had already ruled Lee out of three European tournaments — the Denmark Open, French Open and Hylo Open — as well as this week’s Japan Masters, which runs until November 16.
His last appearance was at the China Masters in September, where he was forced to retire midway through his opening-round match against Taiwan’s Lin Chun-Yi after trailing 6–14 in the deciding game.
Last year, Lee captured his first Australian Open title by defeating Japan’s Kodai Naraoka 21–19, 11–21, 21–18 in a gripping final.
His withdrawal means Malaysia’s men’s singles hopes in Sydney will now rest on Leong Jun Hao, Justin Hoh and Aidil Sholeh Ali Sadikin, with Eogene Ewe and Lim Ming Hong competing in the qualifiers.
With one tournament left on his calendar — the Syed Modi India International from November 25 to 30 — questions remain over whether Lee will make a competitive return before year’s end.
