It was a case of polar opposites for Paris 2024 men’s singles silver and bronze medallists Kunlavut Vitidsarn and Lee Zii Jia on Day 1 of the VICTOR China Open 2024 in Changzhou.

Vitidsarn took a whole month off after securing Thailand’s first Olympic medal in badminton at Paris 2024 and was unsure of how he’d fare in his first match back on the HSBC BWF World Tour.

“I didn’t think about winning today. I came to learn and take it step by step. So, I feel very happy to win [my first match back],” he said.

Despite a slow start allowing time to adjust to the quick and drifty conditions, the reigning world champion found an extra gear to dispatch Su Li Yang 20-22 21-14 21-15 in three tough games.

“Today went well for me because the shuttle was fast and difficult to control. I have felt pressure [to keep performing] because the Olympics was so big. But I hope to do the best at every tournament as it’s important for me to qualify for the [HSBC BWF} World Tour Finals.”

A perplexed Lee said he was still trying to figure out some quirks with his body having slumped to a lob-sided 15-21 2-21 defeat against Koki Watanabe of Japan.

“After the Olympics, my body condition was quite weird. I was suffering from a lot of injuries, and I didn’t know why. I just can’t seem to get 100 per cent, but it’s getting better,” said Lee.

“When I train with some intensity, I feel soreness everywhere. My elbow and knee feel sore, and my back gets stiff.

“I need to solve these issues because I have to get back to 100 per cent condition to qualify for the World Tour Finals.”

The Malaysian made his post-Games return at the DAIHATSU Japan Open 2024 in August, and after his first round defeat to eventual winner Alex Lanier, declared he’d be skipping tournaments in Korea and Hong Kong to prioritise his health.

That step will be repeated now as he heads back home to Kuala Lumpur to reassess his physical condition ahead of the CLASH ROYALE Arctic Open 2024 powered by YONEX in Finland next month.

“My condition is not there yet and there’s so much I need to keep working on to find my best condition.”

Paris 2024 men’s doubles silver medallist Liang Wei Keng/Wang Chang made good on their return to the court with a clinical win over the Popov brothers. Watch their highlights below.

→ Results (Day 1)

→ Order of Play (Day 2)