KUALA LUMPUR: The much-anticipated first-round clash between Lee Zii Jia and Kento Momota at the Korea Masters will not take place.
This comes after Zii Jia decided to skip the Super 300 tournament that was set to begin in Gwangju on Tuesday, making him the second Malaysian men's singles player to withdraw after Ng Tze Yong.
In a statement posted on their Instagram account, Team LZJ said Zii Jia had been advised by doctors to take a longer rest to return to optimal condition for the remaining tournaments of the World Tour.
Zii Jia is now expected to resume action in the back-to-back Kumamoto Masters Super 500 in Japan from Nov 14-19 and the China Masters Super 750 in Shenzhen from Nov 21-26.
"Following consultations with doctors and physical experts, Team LZJ agrees that it's best for Lee Zii Jia to take a bit more time to rest before returning to action," said Team LZJ.
"There's nothing serious to worry about. Thanks for the well wishes, and see you all soon."
Zii Jia was supposed to head to Gwangju as the second seed, and given his recent form and the absences of several top players, he was considered an overwhelming favourite to win the title. He was the runner-up in 2018.
Zii Jia's last outing was at the French Open, where he exited in the second round after losing to eventual champion, Li Shi Feng of China.
This followed two consecutive commendable outings where he won the Arctic Open in Finland and finished second in the Denmark Open.
Zii Jia's decision to skip this week's event didn't come as a surprise, as it was clear he needed more time to recover after a hectic schedule that included playing in the Hangzhou Asian Games.
For many fans, however, this development is a significant disappointment. This is because they haven't seen former two-time world champion Momota in action since the Australian Open in August when he suffered a lower back injury.
Momota appears set to start in Gwangju as he recently featured for his club NTT East in the Japanese League.
While he may no longer be the formidable player he once was, he can still give rivals a tough challenge.
In Zii Jia and Tze Yong's absence, Malaysia's challenge in the men's singles will be carried by the newly crowned KL Masters Super 100 champion Leong Jun Hao, Cheam June Wei and Soong Joo Ven.
Jun Hao, originally scheduled to face Tze Yong, will now await a new challenger promoted from the qualifying draw.
As fate would have it, June Wei has been paired with fellow independent shuttler Joo Ven.
S. Kisona is the sole Malaysian representative in the women's singles.
