Confidence remains the missing piece for Zii Jia in New Delhi

KUALA LUMPUR: Lee Zii Jia admitted he desperately needed a victory to regain his confidence after suffering a narrow first-round defeat to Denmark's Rasmus Gemke at the India Open today.

The world No. 144 independent shuttler lost 21-13, 18-21, 21-18 to the world No. 27 in a 62-minute battle at the Indira Gandhi Sports Complex in New Delhi.

Zii Jia was frustrated after failing to close out the decider, acknowledging the emotional toll of repeated close defeats during his return to competition.

"I definitely wanted to win the match," Zii Jia said in a post-match interview with the Badminton World Federation.

"Of course, for myself as a competitor, and after all the things I've been through, I needed this win.

"But it seems like it was just not enough to close out the third game."

The defeat marked Zii Jia's sixth straight first-round exit.

He remains winless in his last six matches, with his most recent victory coming against India's K. Srikanth in the second round of the Orleans Masters in March last year.

Orleans was also the last time he progressed past the first round at a World Tour event.

He has yet to beat Gemke, having lost all five of their career meetings.

Despite the result, Zii Jia said there were signs of progress compared with his recent outing at the Malaysia Open, where he also exited in the first round.

"There's definitely some positive progress that we can see since last week," he said.

"Compared with the match just now, there's a lot of improvement that I feel."

The former All England champion said his struggles were rooted more in confidence and match sharpness than lingering physical issues following a long injury layoff.

"Injuries-wise it's getting better, but physically I need to find back some confidence," he said.

"I need to compete in tournaments to find back that momentum."

Zii Jia also reflected on how a rushed return from an ankle injury sustained at the World Tour Finals in 2024 led to further setbacks, including a back injury, which disrupted his momentum across multiple tournaments.

Looking ahead, the 28-year-old is hoping the grind of competition will help restore belief as he targets a return to the top 20 by the end of the year.

He will compete in the Indonesia Masters next.

"I need to accept it and try to get back my confidence," he added.

"And try to prepare for the Indonesia Masters next week."