Zii Jia claims a massive psychological boost in his World Tour semifinals appearance despite falling to Japan’s rising prospect.
Malaysia Badminton News confirms the world No. 65 suffered a 13-21, 21-18, 18-21 defeat against Riki Takei.
The intense seventy-minute battle at the Canadian Open ended his grueling four-week international stretch.
SmashNews reports that Takei recently excelled under the coaching guidance of former world No. 1 Kento Momota.
Although disappointed, the 27-year-old Malaysian took immense confidence from his best performance since returning from injury.
He previously defeated Takei during the Australian Open qualifying rounds just three weeks ago.
Rebuilding Confidence Through World Tour semifinals Progress
This milestone represents his first World Tour semifinals run since the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
Zii Jia admitted his ongoing struggle to regain his peak court presence and world ranking points.
He described his quarter-final victory over Taiwan’s Wang Po-wei as a major step forward.
The independent star now prepares to return home for an intensive training phase.
He will next travel to the Taiwan Open in late July to navigate the qualifying rounds.
Coaches expect his physical conditioning to improve further after completing this dense competition schedule.
Smashnews understands that his injury-free status remains the most positive outcome of this North American tour.
Developing sustainable shuttlecock mastery under pressure is vital for his long-term Olympic targets.
Supporters expect a focused, disciplined display as he continues his search for global glory.
The young star continues to put in maximum effort to elevate his overall athletic performance.