KUALA LUMPUR: World No. 50 Justin Hoh proved he could be the next big thing in Malaysian badminton after nearly upsetting Paris Olympic bronze medallist Lee Zii Jia in the first round of the Kumamoto Masters in Japan today.

The 20-year-old made world No. 7 Zii Jia work hard for 62 minutes before narrowly losing 21-16, 12-21, 21-17.

To be fair to Zii Jia, it was the former All-England champion's first match since suffering an ankle injury in the Arctic Open quarter-finals in Finland last month.

The injury also forced him to withdraw from the Denmark Open before making his return at the Kumamoto Masters.

Zii Jia will face Japan's Koo Takahashi or Taiwan's Su Li Yang in the second round tomorrow.

Meanwhile, compatriot Leong Jun Hao pulled off a shock win in the first round by edging world No. 17 Lakshya Sen 20-22, 21-17, 21-16 in 74 minutes

The victory is a major boost for world No. 31 Jun Hao, who had suffered first-round exits in his previous three tournaments at the China Open, Arctic Open, and Denmark Open.

Jun Hao will take on either Indonesia's Chico Aura Dwi Wardoyo or Japan's Koki Watanabe in the next round.