KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia's Lee Zii Jia is shaping up nicely for the Paris Olympics in July.
The world No. 8 men's singles player has every reason to be confident, given his impressive form since the Thomas Cup in Chengdu, China, last month.
On Saturday, Zii Jia advanced to the Australian Open final, his third World Tour final in as many weeks, after coming from behind to defeat Taiwan's Lee Chia Hao 10-21, 21-15, 21-10 in the semi-finals in Sydney.
The former All England champion will face second seed Kodai Naraoka of Japan in the final on Sunday.
Zii Jia not only clinched the Thailand Open crown last month and reached the Malaysia Masters final a week later, but he also managed to break into the world top eight, which assures him a seeded spot in the Olympics.
"This is my fourth tournament in a row and my third final appearance. Surely, it's very positive for me ahead of the Olympics next month," Zii Jia told the Badminton World Federation.
"I decided to play in the Australian Open because there are only six weeks left to the Olympics. After discussing with my coach (Wong Tat Meng) and my team, we agreed that there is plenty of time for me to rest and prepare.
"As long as I wasn't injured, I was always going to play here," added Zii Jia.
The 26-year-old, who inspired Malaysia to their first Thomas Cup semi-final in eight years, said he could feel the presence of a large Malaysian fan base Down Under and would like to cap his week with another title.
"It's my first Australian Open final, and I must thank the crowd. I believe there are many Malaysians here. Hopefully, I will bring the trophy home tomorrow," said Zii Jia.
In the other men's singles semi-final match, Naraoka fought tooth and nail before overpowering another Taiwanese player, Lin Chun Yi, 22-20, 23-21.
