The 2021 All England champion, with bandage on his right middle finger, easily disposed of Viren Nettasinghe of Sri Lanka 21-14, 21-12 in a Group G match.

“My finger is not injured, it is just a preventive measure,” he said after the match.

He said he used today’s match to get used to the competition venue and tried new things. “There is still much to do to adapt to the court, so I tried many different kinds of shots and positions, hopefully it will be better in the next game.”

Asked if he had a message for fans back home, he said: “Thanks for supporting me, hopefully I will get better and better, hopefully there will be good results here,” he said.

He praised the crowd at today’s match, describing it as “amazing and loud”. He said: “I can feel the different vibes compared to the Tokyo Olympics (held during the Covid-19 pandemic).”

At the Tokyo games, where he made his Olympic debut, Zii Jia went down to China’s Chen Long in the round of 16.

Zii Jia will have a rest day tomorrow, while Viren, ranked world No 70, takes on world number 62 Pablo Abian of Spain.

Abian will come up against Zii Jia on Tuesday. In their only previous encounter, Zii Jia was forced by Abian into a rubber game before winning 21-11, 21-23, 24-22 at the 2021 Hylo Open first round.

“He is a very experienced player, his fifth Olympics. Not easy to play him, but I have to prepare myself,” Zii Jia said.

A win against the Spaniard will ensure Zii Jia’s place in the last 16, where he is likely to come up against Anthony Sinisuka Ginting of Indonesia.