Bangkok: Malaysian independent badminton star Lee Zii Jia suffered another disappointing early exit after crashing out in the opening round of the 2026 Thailand Open on Tuesday.
The former All England champion went down 20-22, 10-21 to Israel’s Daniil Dubovenko in a 38-minute men’s singles clash at the Super 500 tournament.
Currently ranked world No. 67, Lee entered the event hoping to continue rebuilding momentum after his encouraging performances at the 2026 Thomas Cup. However, inconsistency once again proved costly.
Lee Zii Jia Lets Opening Game Slip Away
Lee Zii Jia started positively and looked in control during large portions of the opening game.
The Malaysian initially moved ahead 5-3 before trailing 9-11 at the mid-game interval. He responded strongly by winning four consecutive points and later extended his advantage to 15-12.
As the game entered the closing stages, Lee appeared close to securing the opener after reaching game point at 20-18.
However, Daniil Dubovenko stayed calm under pressure and produced four straight points to steal the game 22-20.
The collapse visibly affected Lee’s momentum heading into the second game.
Second Game Dominated by Daniil Dubovenko
After the score was tied 2-2 in the second game, the Israeli shuttler quickly took control with a four-point run.
From there, Dubovenko steadily widened the gap as Lee struggled to regain rhythm and confidence.
The Israeli eventually closed out the match comfortably 21-10 to complete one of the biggest upsets of the opening round.
The defeat marked Lee Zii Jia’s fourth first-round exit on the BWF World Tour this season, following early eliminations at the Malaysia Open, India Open, and Swiss Open.
Goh Jin Wei Also Eliminated
Malaysia’s women’s singles challenge also ended early after Goh Jin Wei suffered a three-game defeat to Thailand’s 17-year-old rising star Yataweemin Ketklieng.
Goh started strongly by taking the opening game 21-13, but the Thai teenager fought back impressively to win 19-21, 21-16 after one hour of play.
The victory sends Yataweemin into a second-round meeting against fellow Thai and fourth seed Pornpawee Chochuwong.
With Goh Jin Wei’s defeat, Malaysia’s women’s singles campaign officially ended after K. Letshanaa and Wong Ling Ching had earlier withdrawn from the tournament before the start.
Malaysia’s Singles Struggles Continue
The latest results mean Malaysia failed to place any representatives into the second round in men’s singles, women’s singles, women’s doubles, or mixed doubles.
Only four Malaysian men’s doubles pairs advanced into the round of 16:
- Goh Sze Fei / Nur Izzuddin Rumsani
- Bryan Jeremy Goonting / Muhammad Haikal
- Chia Weijie / Teo Ee Yi
- Nur Mohd Azriyn Ayub / Tan Wee Kiong
Shi Yuqi and Kunlavut Vitidsarn Advance Comfortably
Meanwhile, China’s top seed Shi Yuqi opened his Thailand Open campaign strongly with a straight-games victory over Indonesia’s Anthony Sinisuka Ginting.
The world No. 1 won 21-12, 21-17 and will next face Hong Kong’s Lee Cheuk Yiu.
Thailand’s home favorite Kunlavut Vitidsarn also enjoyed a confident start to his title defense.
The former world champion defeated Japan’s Yudai Okimoto 21-16, 21-12 in front of the local crowd.
Kunlavut, who won the Thailand Open titles in 2023 and 2025, will next face Taiwan’s Lee Chia Hao.
Other Major Results
Japan’s Kodai Naraoka survived a tough test against India’s Ayush Shetty, winning 21-13, 17-21, 21-4 to move into an all-Japanese second-round clash against Koki Watanabe.
Denmark’s Anders Antonsen advanced after defeating Hong Kong’s Jason Gunawan in straight games, while India’s Lakshya Sen comfortably overcame Singapore’s Jason Teh Jia Heng.
Singapore’s Loh Kean Yew endured a disappointing exit after losing 14-21, 15-21 to India veteran Kidambi Srikanth while struggling with a foot injury.
South Korea’s Jeon Hyeok Jin also impressed by edging Canada’s Victor Lai 22-20, 21-19.
Pressure Continues to Build Around Lee Zii Jia
Although Lee Zii Jia showed positive signs during the Thomas Cup in Denmark, his inability to maintain consistency on the individual circuit remains a major concern.
The Malaysian is still attempting to climb back into the world’s top tier after injury disruptions over the past year significantly affected his ranking and momentum.
With the Malaysia Masters approaching next week, attention will now shift to whether Lee can quickly recover mentally from another difficult defeat.
This latest badminton news update highlights the increasingly competitive nature of international badminton as several top players continue battling for form and consistency ahead of the major tournaments this season.
