Kuala Lumpur — Malaysian men’s singles ace Lee Zii Jia has officially withdrawn from the upcoming 2025 U.S. Open, opting instead to prioritize his recovery and target a return at the Japan Open in mid-July.
The world No. 10, who is currently managing a recurring right ankle injury, said the decision was made after carefully weighing his recovery progress.
“I felt that returning for the U.S. Open might be a bit premature. I’m not quite at 100% yet,” said Lee Zii Jia after attending the 2024 National Sports Awards ceremony in Kuala Lumpur.
Lee Zii Jia suffered the initial injury during the World Tour Finals last December, which was aggravated again during the All England Championships in March. Since then, he’s been on a rehabilitation program and has applied for protected ranking status from the Badminton World Federation (BWF).
“This time, I want to be cautious. I rushed back too quickly during the All England and learned a hard lesson,” he said. “So I’ll rest a bit longer and only return when I’m truly ready.”
With his withdrawal from the U.S. Open, fans can expect to see him compete at the Japan Open (July 15–20) and the China Open (July 22–27), if all goes well.
Lee Zii Jia’s absence from the early part of the summer circuit may shift the competitive dynamics in men’s singles, but all eyes will be on his highly anticipated comeback in Asia.
