KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian badminton fans will have to wait longer to see their shuttlers win on the World Tour, as Lee Zii Jia retired during his Indonesia Masters quarter-final clash against Brian Yang of Canada today.
Zii Jia made the decision after Yang won the opening game 21-14.
It's not immediately known what prompted him to concede the match, but it could be due to an injury.
This unpleasant development is certainly a cause for concern for the national team, who will be relying on the world No. 10 to spearhead their challenge at the forthcoming Badminton Asia Team Championships in Shah Alam from Feb 13-18.
Earlier today, Pearly Tan-M. Thinaah and Tan Kian Meng-Lai Pei Jing also crashed out in their respective women's doubles and mixed doubles event.