KUALA LUMPUR: World No. 10 Lee Zii Jia's decision to retire from his quarter-final match against Brian Yang was due to food poisoning, as stated by Team LZJ in a statement on Friday.
According to the statement, Zii Jia had been grappling with food poisoning for the past "couple of days," leading to a decline in his physical condition.
Despite this, Zii Jia had managed to defy the odds and defeat Hong Kong's Ng Ka Long in the previous round on Thursday.
However, the toll of the condition became evident in today's match against world No. 24 Yang, whom he had previously not lost to in five encounters.
Zii Jia opted to retire after conceding the opening game 21-14, with the statement noting, "Unfortunately, Zii Jia had to retire in the middle of the match as his body condition deteriorated after a severe case of food poisoning for the past couple of days."
"Zii Jia really tried his best to perform but was unable to complete the match against Yang."
With an injury being ruled out, this update provides some relief to the national badminton team as they gear up for the Badminton Asia Team Championships in two weeks, where Zii Jia is set to lead Malaysia.