KUALA LUMPUR: Lee Zii Jia may have suffered a last-16 exit at the Hylo Open, but he took pride in pushing Japanese Kodai Naraoka to the limit despite battling illness for two days in Saarbrucken, Germany.
The Malaysian world No. 42 gave World Championships silver medallist Naraoka a tough time before going down 21-11, 13-21, 21-14 in a 63-minute clash at the Saarlandhalle Indoor Arena on Thursday.
In retrospect, Zii Jia (https://www.nst.com.my/sports/badminton/2026/10/1566349/fever-hit-zii-jia-suffers-hylo-open-heartbreak-germany) was in danger of missing the Super 500 tournament altogether after suffering a stomach ailment, fever and chills on Tuesday.
However, he soldiered on to secure a hard-fought three-game victory over Singapore's Jason Teh in the first round on Wednesday.
