KUALA LUMPUR: Leong Jun Hao will carry the nation's hopes in the men's singles event at next week's Malaysia Open following Lee Zii Jia's withdrawal.
World No. 6 Zii Jia pulled out of the Super 1000 event on Friday, citing a ligament tear in his right ankle sustained during last month's World Tour Finals (WTF) in Hangzhou.
Jun Hao, a finalist at last year's Kumamoto Masters in Japan, however, faces a tough opening-round match against China's world No. 16 Lu Guang Zu.
Local fans are pinning their hopes on the Malaysian world No. 29 to put up a strong performance despite the tough draw.
"It is with a heavy heart that we announce Zii Jia will not appear at the World Tour opener and his home tournament, the Malaysia Open," Zii Jia's management team, TeamLZJ, posted on X on Friday.
"Unfortunately, he has not fully recovered from his right ankle ligament injury sustained during the WTF."
The injury could also rule Zii Jia out of the India Open (Jan 14-19) and the Indonesia Masters (Jan 21-26). TeamLZJ added: "His participation in these tournaments is under consideration, pending full recovery."
Zii Jia's absence is expected to impact his world ranking slightly, though he is likely to remain in the top 10.
The 25-year-old may now focus on returning to action at the prestigious All England in March.