PETALING JAYA: The scoreline in Paris may not have gone his way, but for Lee Zii Jia, just stepping back onto the world stage was already a victory.

And the 27-year-old singles shuttler knows that learning to wait until his time comes again will be the key.

Yesterday, Zii Jia, who was out for five months with ankle injury, bowed out 17-21, 11-21 to South Korea’s Jeon Hyeok-jin in the first round of the World Championships.

It was the independent player’s second defeat to the world No. 38 Korean in five meetings

He however was relieved to complete the match pain-free, which is a crucial step forward in his comeback journey and said that he needed to be patient to find his best level again.

“Not just the fans but I need to be patient as well. Definitely I have confidence that I can get back to the level I used to be,” said Zii Jia in a post-match interview with the Badminton World Federation (BWF).

“For my performance in this match, I only give myself five out of 10 as far as my physical endurance is concerned.

“I’m happy though to complete this match without any pain and any injuries. That’s the most important thing for me.

While it was encouraging to see Zii Jia back after so long, the defeat showed how far he still needs to go to regain the physical sharpness needed to win at the highest level.

“As for the upcoming target, of course I’m trying to find my tournament feeling. As long as I’m competing in tournaments, I’m not worried,” added Zii Jia.

It was Zii Jia’s first early exit in the world meet since he made his debut in 2019.

He made it as far as the quarter-finals in the event twice in 2019 and 2021.

Zii Jia is next scheduled to compete in the Hong Kong Open from Sept 9-14.

The 2021 All-England champion will be keen to return to his best and move up the world rankings again after dropping to No. 52 due to his long absence from competitions.

The Paris outing was only Zii Jia’s third tournament this year after the Orleans Masters and All-England in March.

He reached the last eight in Orleans before losing in the first round of the All-England.