KUALA LUMPUR: Lee Zii Jia's encouraging comeback gathered further momentum as he climbed 14 places to world No. 42, while newly crowned Arctic Open men's doubles champions Aaron Tai-Yap Roy King made an even bigger leap in the latest Badminton World Federation (BWF) rankings released today.
While Aaron-Roy King rocketed 232 spots to world No. 116 following their sensational title-winning World Tour debut in Finland, it was Zii Jia's rise that carried greater significance for Malaysian men's singles.
The former world No. 2 and Paris Olympic bronze medallist is beginning to show signs of rediscovering his best form after a difficult spell plagued by injuries, family issues and inconsistent results.
Zii Jia entered last week's Super 500 Arctic Open ranked world No. 56 but produced his most encouraging performance of the season to reach the semi-finals after coming through qualifying.
The highlight was his stunning 21-11, 21-16 victory over world No. 2 Christo Popov of France in the quarter-finals.
His challenge eventually ended against Denmark's Anders Antonsen, who prevailed 21-11, 15-21, 21-16 in the last four before going on to lift the title.
Nonetheless, the performance should provide a massive confidence boost for the 28-year-old as he continues his climb back up the rankings.
Zii Jia will now have his sights set on breaking into the world's top 32, a target that would strengthen his prospects of securing places in the higher-tier World Tour tournaments.
However, he will have to wait before building on his momentum as he is not competing at this week's Denmark Open or next week's French Open, both Super 750 events.
His next scheduled appearance is at the Hylo Open (Super 300) in Germany, beginning on Oct 27.
Zii Jia's resurgence could also spell trouble for Leong Jun Hao, whose position as Malaysia's top-ranked men's singles player may come under threat if their contrasting fortunes continue.
Jun Hao remains at world No. 30, while Justin Hoh is unchanged at No. 45, just three places behind Zii Jia.
Meanwhile, Aaron-Roy King's remarkable Arctic Open triumph has propelled them from world No. 348 to No. 116 after they swept through five matches without dropping a game.
Although the pair had featured together as a scratch combination at the Asian Team Championships in February, Finland marked their first World Tour appearance together.
Their 21-19, 21-19 victory over Taiwan's Lai Po Yu-Tsai Fu Cheng in the final earned them 9,200 ranking points.
The pair will be eager to build on their perfect start at the Denmark Open, French Open and Hylo Open over the next three weeks.
Another strong showing in Europe could strengthen their case to be retained as a permanent combination by national men's doubles head coach Herry Iman Pierngadi.
Elsewhere, K. Letshanaa moved up one spot to world No. 27 in women's singles, while leading pairs Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik (No. 4), Pearly Tan-M. Thinaah (No. 5) and Chen Tang Jie-Toh Ee Wei (No. 8) maintained their positions.
© New Straits Times Press (M) Bhd