WITH great power comes great responsibility. Such is the case of the high flying Lee Zii Jia who is expected to break into the world top five for the first time this week.
The in-form men's singles sensation yesterday bagged his second title of the month, after staging a brilliant comeback to defeat former Youth Olympic champion Li Shi Feng of China 17-21, 21-11, 23-21 in the Thailand Open final.
Zii Jia is only the third Malaysian, after Yong Hock Kin (2001) and Hafiz Hashim (2005), to win the Thailand Open crown since the tournament's inception in 1984.
On the back of winning the Asia Championships crown in Manila earlier this month, Zii Jia has been in blistering form, not losing a single match since arriving in Bangkok for the Thomas Cup challenge a fortnight ago.
While things are beginning to look good for the 24-year-old who turned professional in January, his coach Indra Wijaya wants him to remain grounded and be prepared for the tough road ahead.
Indra said: "It never gets easier, but the other way around when you want to be the best. Zii Jia's opponents are going to be harder to beat.
"The key here is to remain humble, work hard and take things one step at a time. Bear in mind, the tournament schedule is hectic, and it is not easy to stay on top for long.
"We will return to Kuala Lumpur tomorrow, have a short break before preparing for the Indonesia Open (June 14-19)."
Indra admitted that Zii Jia could not have come this far without the support of his professional team.
"It's almost impossible to be in your best shape all the time, given the tight tournament schedule.
"Standing behind Zii Jia and I are a team of hard working and dedicated individuals, who do everything they can to keep Zii Jia in the best possible shape.
"None of this would have been possible without them," added Indra.
Zii Jia's support service team consist of former National Sports Institute physiotherapist Sandra Fiedler, former BA of Malaysia physical trainer Lim Joe Heang, assistant coach and player Liew Daren, and Zii Jia's older sister Lee Zii Yii, who manages him.
RESULTS
(All Finals)
Men's singles: Lee Zii Jia bt Li Shi Feng (Chn) 17-21, 21-11, 23-21;
Doubles: Takuro Hoki-Yugo Kobayashi (Jpn) bt Fajar Alfian-Muhammad Rian Ardianto (Ina) 13-4 (Rtd);
Women's singles: Tai Tzu Ying (Tai) bt Chen Yu Fei (Chn) 21-15, 17-21, 21-12;
Doubles: Nami Matsuyama-Chiharu Shida (Jpn) bt Mayu Matsumoto-Wakana Nagahara (Jpn) 17-21, 21-15, 26-24;
Mixed doubles: Zheng Siwei-Huang Ya Qiong (Chn) bt Dechapol Puavaranukroh-Sapsiree Taerattanachai (Tha) 21-12, 18-21, 21-14.