Zii Jia and Jun Hao in race to regain fitness

MEN’S singles Lee Zii Jia and Leong Jun Hao are racing against time to recover from injuries in the hope to improve their world rankings by the end of the season.

Zii Jia, the national No 2, has an IT band (ligament) problem while Malaysia International Challenge runner-up Jun Hao is suffering from a hip muscle injury.

Kedah-born Zii Jia has surpassed his initial target of breaking into the top 60 at No 45.

He has a chance to improve his ranking if he recovers ahead of next week’s Korea Masters.

Zii Jia aggravated his injury when he played in last week’s Malaysia IC, where he lost in the quarter-finals to Vietnam’s Nguyen Tien Minh.

"I will be seeking a second opinion and will go for an ultrasound scan to see how bad is the injury.

"I hope I will be able to play in the Korea Masters," said Zii Jia yesterday.

Jun Hao, on the other hand, reached the final of the Malaysia IC before losing to compatriot Iskandar Zulkarnain Zainuddin.

The 18-year-old, the reigning Asian junior champion, hopes to break into the top 150.

Jun Hao will likely play in next week’s India International Challenge.

Zii Jia, Iskandar and Jun Hao are in contention for spots in the national team for next year’s Thomas Cup. Fabian Peter