Lee Zii Jia will make his much-anticipated return to the court at the World Championships in Paris (Aug 25–31) after a five-month injury layoff.
The world No. 52, unseeded this year, opens against South Korea’s world No. 38 Jeon Hyeok Jin. A win could set up a second-round clash with China’s world No. 4 Li Shi Feng, who leads their head-to-head 4–2.
Zii Jia last played in March at the All England and Orleans Masters before an ankle injury halted his season.
Fellow Malaysian Leong Jun Hao, world No. 25, is expected to get past Switzerland’s Tobias Kuenzi before meeting Japan’s world No. 14 Kenta Nishimoto — a player he beat last month at the China Open. A potential third-round encounter with world No. 6 Chou Tien Chen awaits.
In women’s singles, Goh Jin Wei (world No. 50) opens against China’s Gao Fang Jie (world No. 14), with their rivalry tied at 1–1.
K. Letshanaa, ranked world No. 40, starts against Hong Kong’s Saloni Samirbhai Mehta, holding a 2–0 record against her. Victory could pit her against India’s former world champion P. V. Sindhu in round two.
Malaysia’s last men’s singles medal came in 2015 via Lee Chong Wei’s silver, while the women’s singles is still chasing its first medal at the event.
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