PETALING JAYA: Men’s singles ace Lee Zii Jia suffered a major setback after missing out on the All-England Championships in Birmingham from March 3–8, ending his run in the prestigious Super 1000 event for the first time since his 2020 debut.

Listed 16th on the reserves list released by the Badminton World Federation, the 2021 champion – who stunned Viktor Axelsen to lift the title – was undone by a rankings slide after an injury-ravaged 2025 limited him to just five tournaments.