How to watch Malaysia’s Lee Zii Jia live
Lee Zii Jia is looking to end Malaysia’s long wait for a title when he heads to the 2022 Badminton World Championships from Tokyo Aug. 22-28.
The current world No. 5 has skipped World Tour tournaments and even declined to represent the country at the Commonwealth Games so he can focus on his preparations for the event.
The 24-year-old, who was injured in the quarter-finals in Huelva last year, is looking to make amends in Tokyo. Since the tournament began in 1977, no Malaysian has ever won a title in any of the five disciplines – men’s and women’s singles, men’s and women’s doubles and mixed doubles.
Lee has openly shared that this could be his best shot at the title as he enjoys a career high in the world rankings. However, his recent form has proved unpredictable, most notably his second round elimination at the Malaysian Open where he fell to an Indonesian Shesar Hiren Rhustavito who is more than 20 places down in the world rankings.
The reigning Asian champions enjoyed success on the World Tour, including winning the title at the Thailand Open in May, a Super 500 event attended by most of the top players.
Lee now hopes his tactical approach to the world will pay off and allow him to fulfill his potential in Japan.
READ MORE: Lee Zii Jia reveals plans as he aims for first world title
Shooting for the title will not be easy for Lee
Lee Zii Jia will have little room for error if he wants any chance of becoming world champion. He will open his campaign against Frenchman Brice Leverdez, who has managed to mess up the form book in the past and most notably knocked out Lee Chong Wei in the opening round of the 2017 World Cup.
Should Lee perform as expected, he will meet India’s captain of Thomas Cup winners Kidambi Srikanth in the third round. If he wins there, the Malaysian could face one of the two-time world champions Momota Kento or Lakshya Sen.
If Lee makes it to the semifinals, his opponent could potentially be reigning world champion Loh Kean Yew or even third-placed Anders Antonsen of Denmark. Barring a massive shock, the showdown for the title could most likely see Tokyo 2020 Olympic champion Viktor Axelsen on the other side of the net and Lee would need to win another All England title like in 2020 if he wants to become the first Malaysian to win a world title to win.
Where to Watch Malaysia Badminton World Championships 2022 Live?
The Badminton World Championships 2022 will be broadcast worldwide, with broadcast partners in each region. Fans in Malaysia can watch live on Astro’s subscription channels.
And if you can’t find a screen to watch the games, you can still catch all the action on the Olympics.com Live Blog throughout the tournament.