Kuala Lumpur — Malaysia’s top men’s singles shuttler Lee Zii Jia has been forced to withdraw from next week’s 2025 Kumamoto Masters in Japan after failing to fully recover from a back injury.
The 26-year-old had been expected to make his comeback after a long break from competition, but tournament officials have confirmed his name on the official withdrawal list of the Super 500 event, which runs from November 11 to 16 in Kumamoto, Japan.
Back Injury Still a Concern
Lee last competed at the China Masters in September, where he was forced to retire in the opening round against Taiwan’s Lin Chun Yi due to back pain. Since then, the former All England champion has skipped several tournaments — including the Arctic Open, Denmark Open, French Open, and Hylo Open — to focus on rehabilitation.
This latest withdrawal confirms that the injury remains an obstacle in his effort to regain top form before the 2026 season.
Other Big Names Also Withdraw
Lee’s absence adds to a growing list of withdrawals that includes World No. 2 Anders Antonsen, two-time Olympic champion Viktor Axelsen, and Indonesia’s Jonatan Christie. Their absence reshuffles the competition landscape and opens opportunities for emerging players to make deeper runs in Kumamoto.
Leong Jun Hao and Justin Hoh to Lead Malaysia’s Singles Charge
With Lee sidelined, Malaysia’s singles campaign will be led by Leong Jun Hao (World No. 22) and Justin Hoh (World No. 36).
Leong will face India’s H.S. Prannoy in the first round, while Justin Hoh will take on a qualifier. Both players will look to capitalize on the absence of top seeds and strengthen Malaysia’s standing on the BWF World Tour.
Six Malaysian Men’s Doubles Pairs in Main Draw
Despite Lee’s withdrawal, Malaysia will have a strong presence in the men’s doubles draw with six pairs confirmed to compete.
Top national duo Aaron Chia/Soh Wooi Yik will not participate, leaving Man Wei Chong/Tee Kai Wun and Goh Sze Fei/Nur Izzuddin to spearhead Malaysia’s challenge.
Ranked World No. 5, Man/Tee are seeded third and will open their campaign against Japan’s Hiroki Midorikawa/Kyohei Yamashita (World No. 30).
Meanwhile, Goh/Izzuddin (World No. 4), seeded second, will face Kang Min Hyuk/Ki Dong Ju (World No. 23) of Korea in the first round.
Both pairs are still in the race to qualify for the BWF World Tour Finals in Hangzhou, with Man/Tee currently third in the rankings (84,350 points) and Goh/Izzuddin seventh (72,770 points).
Other Malaysian Men’s Doubles Matches (First Round):
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Nur Mohd Azriyn Ayub/Tan Wee Kiong (MAS) vs. Lai Po Yu/Tsai Fu Cheng (TPE)
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Choong Hon Jian/Muhammad Haikal (MAS) vs. Kazuki Shibata/Naoki Yamada (JPN)
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Junaidi Arif/Yap Roy King (MAS) vs. Chang Ko-Chi/Po Li-Wei (TPE)
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Ong Yew Sin/Teo Ee Yi (MAS) vs. Chen Zhi Ray/Lin Yu Chieh (TPE)
Malaysia will thus have multiple chances for success in Kumamoto, particularly in the men’s doubles category where depth and consistency continue to be the country’s strengths.
While fans eagerly await Lee Zii Jia’s return, all eyes will now turn to his compatriots in Japan, who carry the nation’s hopes for a deep run at the 2025 Kumamoto Masters.
