Former world No.1 doubles ace Tan Boon Heong has cast doubts over Lee Zii Jia’s competitiveness at the Paris World Championships (Aug 25-31), calling men’s singles “a big question mark.”
Zii Jia, now ranked world No.52 after an injury layoff, opens his campaign against South Korea’s Jeon Hyeok Jin before a likely second-round clash with China’s Li Shi Feng, world No.4.
Boon Heong stressed that the first two matches will be crucial: “If he can get a breakthrough there, then maybe he can go far, he can deliver something special.”
Despite being unseeded and inconsistent on the World Tour, Zii Jia remains unpredictable and has a track record of surprising critics when under pressure. He owns a 3-1 record against Hyeok Jin but trails 2-4 to Shi Feng.
Should he advance, Zii Jia could meet China’s Lu Guang Zu in the third round and Japan’s Kodai Naraoka in a potential quarter-final, edging closer to his first-ever Worlds medal.
