In a shock result for home supporters, Malaysia’s top badminton player Lee Zii Jia was knocked out in the first round of the Malaysia Open this morning. Facing world No. 32 Ayush Shetty of India, Zii Jia looked out of sorts, losing in straight sets. This was his first major competitive appearance following a lengthy injury layoff.

Zii Jia admitted in a post-match interview that he struggled to find his rhythm and was physically only at 60% capacity. The local crowd at the Axiata Arena, which had high hopes for a deep run, was left stunned by the lack of aggression from the former world number two.

This defeat adds further pressure on Zii Jia’s ranking, which has been slipping over the past few months. His coaching team has indicated they will go back to the drawing board to focus on physical conditioning before the next leg of the BWF World Tour in Indonesia.