Childhood rival Kean Yew praises Zii Jia's never-say-die attitude

Loh Kean Yew was surprised with Lee Zii Jia's progress but acknowledged the world number 10 always had the tools to go far in the game.

"He has always been a strong player that never gave up easily. I think the thing that changed most about him is his height. He has also gotten so powerful now," Loh told Stadium Astro.

The Malaysian-born Loh, who is now Singapore’s leading male shuttler, had grown up together with Lee and Cheam June Wei on the national junior circuit before moving across the Causeway when he was 13.

Loh notably beat Lee in the Under-12 final of the National Junior Grand Prix Finals in 2009, but the Malaysian holds a 3-0 advantage over the Singaporean on the professional circuit.

Of the three wins, the 2019 SEA Games men’s singles final stands out as Lee beat Loh 21-18, 21-18 to strike gold.

But Loh, now ranked 38th in the world, is slowly finding his way to becoming a top player.

The 22-year-old gained worldwide recognition when he beat Lin Dan to win last year’s Thailand Masters, and three things soon became apparent.

His social media following shot up overnight, and he became a wanted ambassador for a lot of brands who wanted him to endorse their products.

Loh has not been able to win another title since, but he has beaten higher ranked shuttlers like Chou Tien-chen (2nd) and Kanta Tsuneyama (11th) this year.

"So far it’s been good, but I still have a long way to go and I am working hard, hoping to make my dream come true," said the Penang-born, who is coping well with the COVID-19 lockdown.

"In fact, I am quite enjoying the lockdown. Everyday we have training and we need to send videos to show what we have done in training. Sometimes we do train together as a team while video calling. I feel everyone will come back more ready than ever."