KUALA LUMPUR: Former international Ong Ewe Hock believes Lee Zii Jia can only get better next year.
The world No 2's season came to an abrupt end when he lost to China Lu Guang Zu in the last 16 of the Australian Open on Thursday. Following the defeat, Zii Jia, who turned professional in January, failed to qualify for the season-ending World Tour Finals in Bangkok next month.
Ewe Hock, the former world No 2, is unperturbed by Zii Jia's erratic form in his first year as a professional.
After quitting the national team, Zii Jia enjoyed a rousing start to his independent career with back-to-back victories at the Asia Championships and Thailand Open.
In the second half of the season, Zii Jia made it to a third final but finished runner-up at the Denmark Open. He subsequently failed to go beyond the last-16 stage in the following five tournaments, including the World Championships and Australian Open.
"I think it was not a bad season for Zii Jia in his first year as a pro, with two titles and a runner-up finish to show. He was also a semi-finalist at the All England and Indonesia Open, which are Super 1000 events," said Ewe Hock today.
"With these results, he climbed three notches to world No 2. It shows he is trending in the right direction.
"We should not be harsh as no shuttler can win every single tournament.
Ewe Hock believes Zii Jia should get stronger and better next year, provided he remains motivated.
"He has to improve from this year's wins. With two titles to show this season, he should aim for three or four crowns next year.
"Hopefully, he can start the season by winning the Malaysia Open in January.
"When you are a top player, people will judge your performance. Zii Jia has to strengthen his game and analyse his opponents.
"He has to find solutions to counter all these challenges," he added.
