Lee Zii Jia unexpectedly registered to participate in the Vietnam Open 2026 - Photo: THE STAR
Today (August 7th), the organizers of the Vietnam Open 2026 badminton tournament received applications from many athletes. Surprisingly, among them is Malaysian player Lee Zii Jia, who is applying in the men's singles category.
The player, born in 1998, is of very high caliber, having spent many years in the top ranks of the world . His highest ranking was number 2 in the Badminton World Federation (BWF) rankings. Throughout his career, Lee Zii Jia has also won numerous prestigious titles.
Most notably, he won a bronze medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics. In addition, he won gold medals at the World Team Badminton Championships and the Asian Championships in 2022, a gold medal at the 30th SEA Games in 2019, and numerous World Tour titles.
Lee Zii Jia's name is famous all over the world, so he's no stranger to Vietnamese fans. Vietnamese fans even gave him the nickname "the hammer god" because of his powerful, thunderous smashes.
Unfortunately, since the 2024 Olympics, the Malaysian player's performance has seriously declined due to injuries. Even now, despite being only 28 years old, he has dropped to rank 54 and usually only appears in lower-level tournaments.
But his inclusion in the Vietnam Open, a tournament only at the Super 100 level, was still a surprise.
Speaking to Tuoi Tre newspaper, a representative of the Ho Chi Minh City Badminton Federation said: "It's true that Lee Zii Jia is on the list of participants. Of course, this is only a preliminary list, as athletes can still withdraw at the last minute. But if she still participates, it's unlikely she'll be seeded because her ranking on the world rankings isn't high right now."
Indeed, the preliminary list for the men's singles so far includes high-ranked players such as Jia Heng Teh ( Singapore , ranked 29th), Jason Gunawan (Hong Kong, ranked 35th), Prannoy Kumar (India, ranked 38th),…
But Lee Zii Jia's appeal remains exceptional. It's highly likely that tickets for this year's Vietnam Open will sell out quickly, as the appearance of a world-class star like the "hammer god" is quite rare.
The Vietnam Open is a long-standing badminton tournament. It is currently the only tournament in Vietnam included in the BWF World Tour system. It has served as a stepping stone for young players, including Kodai Naraoka (Japan, men's singles) and He Bingjiao (China, women's singles).