Kuala Lumpur: Malaysian World No. 7 men’s singles shuttler Lee Zii Jia is expected to advance easily from Group G in the Paris 2024 Olympics badminton event. However, tougher challenges await him in the knockout stages, with potential matchups against Indonesia’s World No. 9 Anthony Ginting in the round of 16 and potentially Denmark’s World No. 4 Anders Antonsen in the quarterfinals.
Lee Zii Jia, one of Malaysia’s top hopes for a gold medal, was placed in Group G as the 7th seed. He successfully avoided strong non-seeded players such as India’s Lakshya Sen, Hong Kong’s Lee Cheuk Yiu, France’s Toma Junior Popov, and Canada’s Brian Yang. Instead, he will face Spain’s Pablo Abian (ranked World No. 63) and Sri Lanka’s Viren Nettasinghe (World No. 72), making his path to the top of the group relatively straightforward.
If Lee emerges as the top player in Group G, he will face the winner of Group H, where it could be Indonesia’s world No. 9 Anthony Ginting. Ginting’s main competition in his group comes from France’s Toma Junior Popov and the USA’s Howard Shu. Ginting is expected to advance, setting up a challenging round of 16 match for Lee Zii Jia.
Should Lee advance to the quarterfinals, he will likely face Denmark’s 4th seed Anders Antonsen. Antonsen, placed in Group E, has a favorable draw and is expected to progress directly to the quarterfinals.
In other notable draws, Indonesia’s 3rd seed Jonatan Christie was placed in Group L, where he will likely face the challenge from India’s Lakshya Sen for the top spot. Denmark’s World No. 1 Viktor Axelsen is expected to have an easy path in Group P. Other strong contenders for the Olympic gold medal include Thailand’s Kunlavut Vitidsarn, Japan’s Kodai Naraoka, and China’s Shi Yuqi.
The comprehensive draw and potential matchups make for an exciting badminton event at the Paris 2024 Olympics, with Lee Zii Jia’s journey being closely watched by Malaysian fans and badminton enthusiasts worldwide.
2024 Paris Olympics Badminton Men’s Singles Groups:
Group A: Shi Yuqi (China), Sören Opti (Suriname), Giovanni Toti (Italy)
Group C: Kunlavut Vitidsarn (Thailand), Kalle Koljonen (Finland), Julien Paul (Mauritius)
Group D: Kenta Nishimoto (Japan), Dmitry Panarin (Kazakhstan), Brian Yang (Canada)
Group E: Anders Antonsen (Denmark), Ade Resky Dwicahyo (Azerbaijan), Collins-Valentine Filimon (Austria)
Group G: Lee Zii Jia (Malaysia), Viren Nettasinghe (Sri Lanka), Pablo Abian (Spain)
Group H: Anthony Ginting (Indonesia), Toma Junior Popov (France), Howard Shu (USA)
Group I: Chou Tien-chen (Taiwan), Lee Cheuk Yiu (Hong Kong), Luis Ramón Garrido (Mexico)
Group J: Kodai Naraoka (Japan), Jeon Hyeok-jin (Korea), Ygor Coelho (Brazil)
Group K: H. S. Prannoy (India), Lê Đức Phát (Vietnam), Fabian Roth (Germany)
Group L: Jonatan Christie (Indonesia), Lakshya Sen (India), Kevin Cordon (Guatemala), Julien Carraggi (Belgium)
Group M: Loh Kean Yew (Singapore), Uriel Canjura (El Salvador), Jan Louda (Czech Republic)
Group N: Li Shifeng (China), Tobias Künzi (Switzerland), Anuoluwapo Juwon Opeyori (Nigeria)
Group P: Viktor Axelsen (Denmark), Nhat Nguyen (Ireland), Misha Zilberman (Israel), Prince Dahal (Nepal)
Below are the official draws for men’s singles, women’s singles, women’s doubles, and mixed doubles.
Men’s Singles:
Women’s Singles:
Women’s Doubles:
Mixed Doubles:
For the men’s doubles draw, according to the BWF, due to a Court of Arbitration of Sport (CAS) hearing, BWF will conduct the men’s doubles draw on another date yet to be determined.
