Lee Zii Jia Lost to the World Number Eighty-Eight in Ho Chi Minh City and He Is Now Ranked Fifty-Eight
A 47-minute second-round defeat to a 20-year-old qualifier extends a run of early exits for Malaysia's Olympic bronze medallist.
Lee Zii Jia went out in the second round of the Vietnam Open, beaten 21-8, 13-21, 21-14 in 47 minutes by Wu Zhe Ying of Chinese Taipei.
Wu is 20 and ranked 88 in the world. Lee is 28, ranked 58, and won bronze at the Paris Olympics in 2024. He had a first-round bye.
It follows a first-round exit at the Korea Masters last month and an early loss at the Taipei Open. Lee had been projected to meet India's HS Prannoy, the third seed at 39 in the world, in the third round. The pair had split four previous meetings, Lee taking the most recent at January's Indonesia Masters.
Malaysia have plenty left in the draw. Aidil Sholeh beat Ting Yen-Chen 21-8, 21-17 and Lim Ming Hong beat Wang Po Wei 21-16, 15-21, 21-13 to set up an all-Malaysian last sixteen. Siti Zulaikha reached the round of sixteen, as did Goh Jin Wei, who is competing as an independent. In men's doubles, Choong Hon Jian and Wong Vin Sean meet Lee Yi Bo and Lim Tze Jian.
The tournament runs to 13 September at Nguyen Du Stadium with 120,000 US dollars in prize money. Ho Chi Minh City is an hour behind Kuala Lumpur, so play falls in the local evening.