Malaysians must stand and deliver on home ground
Published on: Tuesday, January 15, 2019
KUALA LUMPUR: Shuttler Lee Zii Jia (pic) reckons that those playing under the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) banner, especially in men’s singles, must make full use of home ground advantage when the six-day Perodua Malaysia Masters begins on Tuesday.
The 21-year-old, who is the sole BAM representative, also knows that he will have his work cut out for him as he will start his campaign from the qualifying rounds in the US$350,000 (RM1.43 million) Malaysia Masters at the Axiata Arena.
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“It’s true that most of the BAM players are young. But I hope all the youngsters, not just me, will make it our responsibility to prove that our generation of shuttlers can stand and deliver,” he said in a statement here, Monday.
“I think we can all take heart from the return of Datuk Lee Chong Wei to training because he is someone we all look up to and he can lead us,” added Zii Jia, who lost to experienced Frenchman Brice Leverdez in the quarter-finals of last week’s Thailand Masters.
The other BAM players competing at the Malaysia Masters are Aaron Chia-Wooi Yik Soh, Ong Yew Sin-Teo Ee Yi (men’s doubles); Goh Jin Wei, Lee Ying Ying, Sonia Cheah (women’s singles); Chow Mei Kuan-Lee Meng Yean (women’s doubles); and Goh Soon Huat-Shevon Lai, Tan Kian Meng-Lai Pei Jing (mixed doubles).
Zii Jia, who is from Alor Setar, hopes to reach the final although he knows he must first get past the qualifying rounds.
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