Zii Jia will play in Thailand Open
Zii Jia will play in the Thailand Open this week after all.
Despite speculations of a possible withdrawal, the Paris Olympic-bound shuttler will take to the court tomorrow to play China's Lei Lan Xi in the first round.
Following the team managers’ meeting in Bangkok yesterday, the Malaysian world No. 10 moved into a better seeded position, replacing China's Asian Games champion, Li Shi Feng, who withdrew.
Notably, it is crucial for Zii Jia, the 2022 Thailand Open champion, to collect as many ranking points as possible from now until mid-June to have a good seeding at the Paris Olympics in July.
The other Malaysian men's singles player in the fray is Leong Jun Hao, who will play Taiwan's Su Li Yang in the opening round.
In the mixed doubles, newly weds Goh Soon Huat-Shevon Lai admitted they still have plenty to achieve despite failing to qualify for the Olympics.
After tying the knot on May 5, the pair have set their sights on qualifying for the World Tour Finals this year.
“Soon Huat and I still love the sport and can still compete at the highest level.
“Our target is to qualify once more for the World Tour Finals this year,” said Shevon, who together with Soon Huat are seeded third in Bangkok.
The independent pair will take on Thailand’s Ruttanapak Oupthong-Jhenicha Sudjaipraparat in the first round today.
The other Malaysian mixed doubles pairs in the competition are Yap Roy King-Valeree Siow and Choong Hon Jian-Go Pei Kee.
Due to tight scheduling and the Olympics looming, many star players and pairs have skipped the Thailand Open and the Super 500 Malaysia Masters next week to focus on the Super 750 Singapore Open on May 28-June 2 and the Super 1000 Indonesia Open on June 4-9.