PETALING JAYA: Old is gold for Lee Zii Jia.
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The independent men’s singles shuttler is raring to go in the Denmark Open which starts on Tuesday after reuniting with his old racquet.
He has now vowed to smash down his opponents using his trusted weapon of choice – Victor’s TK-Ryuga.
If all goes well, Zii Jia should reach the semi-finals where he will likely come face-to-face with home favourite and reigning world champion Viktor Axelsen.
The Malaysian, who along with the Dane, have been placed in the top half of the draw and will open his campaign against Holland’s Mark Caljouw.
The 24-year-old Zii Jia, who has been using the TK-Ryuga II which was launched in August, has decided to change to his old racquet which he used en route to winning the All-England title.
TK-Ryuga II is his sponsor Victor’s latest model but after discussions with his team, Zii Jia has sought to temporarily return to the older model in a bid to regain his lost form.
“During the past month, I’ve had a back-and-forth discussion with my team to adjust my training plan and to improve my performance. And, I proposed a temporary change of racquet,” said Zii Jia.
“I really love the design and the hitting experience of the TK-Ryuga II, and I’ll definitely use it in future tournaments.
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“However, at this moment, I’ve decided to use the older version. I’ve been using it for a longer period and hope to bring back the familiar feeling,” Zii Jia said in a social media post.
“I know this request will cause a big loss and pressure for my sponsor.
“So that’s why I’m truly grateful to them for accepting my idea and putting my performance and needs as the top priority.
“Their support and trust allows me to meet the challenge ahead,” he added.
The world No. 3 is bidding to do well in the remaining tournaments this year to gain as many ranking points as possible.
Zii Jia will play in the French Open (Oct 25-30) and Hylo Open (Nov 1-6) right after the tournament in Odense.
A good showing will surely propel him to the top-two position in the world before the season ends.
Meanwhile, the other Malaysian in the fray in Denmark is veteran Liew Daren, who will meet Taiwan’s Wang Tzu-wei in the first round.-The Star