Badminton: How to watch Lee Zii Jia live in action at BWF Japan Open 2022
Following a third-round exit at the World Championships in Tokyo, Malaysia's top shuttler looks to bounce back in Osaka. Here's how to follow the action at the BWF World Tour Super 750 event.
Badminton
After a difficult World Championships last week, Malaysia's badminton star Lee Zii Jia will be looking for an immediate response at the Japan Open in Osaka, which runs from 30 August–4 September 2022.
Lee, the world number five shuttler heading into the Worlds, lost in his third match of the tournament, going out to eventual semi-finalist Zhao Junpeng of China.
It was something of an anti-climax for the Malaysian, who had opted to skip prior World Tour events as well as the Commonwealth Games to prepare for the World Championships.
At his last World Tour event, his home Malaysia Open, he suffered a second-round exit to a lower-ranked player.
The reigning Asian champion will now look to regain his form from earlier in the season when he won the Thailand Open and reached three other World Tour semi-finals.
READ MORE: Malaysia’s Ng Tze Yong: Walking the path forged by Lee Chong Wei and Lee Zii Jia
Lee's tricky draw at Japan Open
For Lee to stand any chance of winning the 2022 Japan Open title, he will have to claim some big scalps.
A tricky draw awaits but it is one that, on his day, the Malaysian should be able to progress through.
His opening tie comes against India's Thomas Cup-winning team captain Kidambi Srikanth, whose World Championship run was also ended by Zhao Junpeng.
Get past Kidambi and either world number 14 Tsuneyama Kanta or world number 16 Wang Tzu-wei await, followed by a potential quarter-final against third seed Anders Antonsen.
Two-time world champion Momota Kento or Indonesia's Jonatan Christie are likely semi-final opponents, although India's rising star Lakshya Sen could also lie in wait.
Top seed Viktor Axelsen, who now holds both Olympic and world titles, would be the most plausible final opponent.
READ MORE: Lee Zii Jia's tough road to the top: It's all about consistency
Japan Open 2022: How to watch
The Japan Open 2022 will be shown globally, with broadcast partners in each region.
Fans in Malaysia can watch Lee Zii Jia live on Astro's subscription channels.
And if you are unable to find a screen to watch the matches, look out for Olympics.com's match reports from Osaka.